1^5:1 


.::xt>:'  ^ 


06ICAL 


The 


Past 


912.    ^^"^  ^^dridge, 

-or    ar>^     ^. 


school   "^   ^"d   the  sund 


ay 


^ 


WILLIAM   E.    HATCHER. 


The  Pastor 

AND  THE 

Sunday  School 

Sunday  School  Board 

Seminary  Lectures 

course  no.  1 


DELIVERED   AT   SOUTHERN    BAPTIST  THEOLOGICAL 
SEMINARY,  LOUISVILLE,  KY.,  FEB.,   1902 


^ 

WILLIAM  E.  HATCHER,  D.D. 

PRESIDENT    BOARD   OF   TRUSTEES  RICHMOND   COLLEGE 


Sunday  School  Board 

Southern  Baptist  Convention 

Nashville,  Tennessee 


^^^^ 


Copyrighted  1902. 
Sunday  School  Board  Southern  Baptist  Convention. 


PREFACE. 

It  is  with  the  utmost  diffidence  that  I  consent 
to  the  pubHcation  of  these  lectures  on  the  Rela- 
tion of  the  Pastor  to  the  Sunday-school.  They 
were  not  prepared  with  reference  to  publication 
and  do  not  seem  to  me  to  possess  a  merit  which 
entitles  them  to  a  formal  presentation  to  the  pub- 
lic. But  I  have  felt  that  I  ought  not  to  refuse  to 
place  them  in  the  hands  of  the  Sunday-school 
Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention.  It 
was  through  its  generous  provision  the  arrange- 
ment for  their  delivery  was  made  and  it  has  hon- 
ored me  with  an  earnest  request  for  the  manu- 
scripts, insisting  that  their  plea  for  higher  pas- 
toral efficiency  in  the  Sunday-school  will  be  of 
value  to  the  young  ministers  of  our  country.  If 
they  shall  serve  to  heighten  the  sense  of  obligation 
in  our  pastors  to  the  Sunday-school  it  will  be  an 
ample  compensation  for  the  labor  expended  in 
their  preparation. 

There  is  a  reminiscent  strain  in  some  of  the 
lectures  which  I  fear  will  strike  some  as  personal 
in  an  unseemly  degree.  The  forbearing  reader 
will  not  forget  that  forty-three  years  of  my  life 
were  spent  in  the  pastorate,  and  it  was  hardly 
avoidable   that    my    experiences    should    intrude 


4  PREFACE. 

themselves  into  some  of  my  utterances.  Possi- 
bly even  these  personal  incidents  may  hold  a  bit 
of  comfort  for  the  tried  and  overtaxed  pastors. 

I  invoke  a  Father's  smile  upon  every  one  who 
takes  up  this  little  volume  and  glances  over  its 
pages. 

William  E.  Hatcher. 

Richmond,  Va.,  April  9,  1902. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Preface. 

MGE 
INTRODUCTION. 

By  President  E.  Y.  Mullins 7 

Lectures. 

1.  The  Pastor  at  the  Door 17 

2.  The  Pastor  on  the  Inside 45 

3.  The  Pastor  Abroad ^^ 

4.  The  Pulpit  and  the  Sunday-school lOi 

5.  The  Pastor  and  the  Garner 135 

Appendix— Historical 173 


Illustrations. 

1.  Portrait  of  the  Author Frontispiece 

2.  Norton  Hall  in  Seminary  Group  of  Buildings.  ..Opposite  17 

3.  The  Seminary  Faculty "  45 

4.  The  Chapel  in  Norton  Hall "  77 

5.  Seminary  Library  Building "  loi 

6.  The  Seminary's  Home  when  at  Greenville,  S.  C.        "  135 

7.  The  Seminary  Faculty,  1863 *'  i73 


I  s  s  \a  e  d  \i  n  d  e  r  tKe 
Constance  PollocK 
PviblisHin^  Fvind, 
given  MarcK  8,  1902 
by  P.  D.  PollocK.  LL.D. 
President  Mercer 
University,  Macon,  Ga. 


Book     Number     One 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  writer  lays  claim  to  no  superior  wisdom 
or  insight  in  Sunday-school  problems.  Still  less 
does  he  set  himself  up  as  critic  of  his  brethren. 
But  it  will  be  conceded  by  thoughtful  readers 
that  there  is  not  an  adequate  appreciation  of  the 
Sunday-school  on  the  part  of  many  pastors. 
There  is  a  conventional  recognition  of  it  as  a  le- 
gitimate part  of  the  machinery  of  the  kingdom, 
a  useful  instrument  of  spiritual  power.  What  is 
needed  is  that  this  instrument  should  be  under- 
stood and  thoroughly  utilized,  that  a  keen  edge 
should  be  put  upon  it,  and  that  in  the  hands  of 
trained  workmen  it  should  cut  the  material  for 
the  Lord's  house. 

There  was  one  fact  of  supreme  significance  in 
the  early  life  of  Jesus,  his  experience  in  the  tem- 
ple at  Jerusalem.  Jewish  parents  felt  in  duty 
bound  to  introduce  their  children  to  all  the  relig- 
ious privileges  at  the  age  of  twelve  or  thereabouts. 
To  their  minds  this  was  the  spiritual  birthright 
of  the  child.  The  splendid  outward  appointments 
of  the  temple  would  make  a  powerful  appeal  to 
the  religious  life  of  the  boy.  It  was  unpardon- 
able in  them  to  neglect  this  duty  of  introducing 
the  child  to  the  temple  worship.     We  know  the 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

effect  of  this  contact  with  the  temple  upon  the 
mind  of  the  boy  Jesus.  His  whole  nature  re- 
sponded in  a  rapture  of  spirit  so  profound  and 
engrossing  that  even  his  parents  were  for  the 
time  forgotten.  This  result  seemed  inevitable. 
For  he  himself  was  the  interpretation  of  that 
temple  ritual.  He  was  to  be  the  priest  and  the 
victim,  and  in  a  real  sense  the  temple  itself,  as  he 
afterwards  declared  in  reference  to  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  body.  Each  feature  of  the  temple 
worship  pointed  to  him.  As  a  boy  even,  there 
nmst  have  been  deep  movings  of  his  spirit  under 
the  influence  of  his  first  contact  with  the  house 
of  God.  No  one  can  estimate  the  value  in  the 
spiritual  development  of  Jesus  of  this  first  visit 
to  Jerusalem. 

Now,  is  not  something  like  this  the  spiritual 
birthright  of  every  child  born  in  a  Christian  fam- 
ily ?  Was  the  Jew's  view  of  his  duty  to  his  child 
on  a  higher  plane  than  that  of  the  Christian  par- 
ent? Baptists  refuse  stubbornly  to  baptize  babes 
unconscious  of  the  meaning  of  the  act.  They 
steadfastly  refuse  to  allow  any  other  individual, 
be  he  parent  or  guardian,  to  perform  any  religious 
aci  as  a  substitute  for  the  free  and  voluntary  act 
of  the  child  himself.  May  they  never  abate  the 
strenuousness  of  their  plea  for  Hberty  and  spir- 
ituality in  this  high  and  true  sense.  But  does 
not  the  very  ardor  of  our  defense  of  the  child's 
birthright  as  a  free  individual,  answerable  spirit- 


INTRODUCTION. 


ually  to  God  alone,  impose  upon  us  a  correspond- 
ing duty,  viz.,  that  we  shall  environ  the  free  spirit 
of  the  child,  at  the  earliest  stage  of  its  susceptibil- 
ity, with  those  transforming  forces  which  are  cal- 
culated to  awaken  it  into  spiritual  life?  Shall  its 
unregenerated  nature  be  permitted  to  issue  forth 
upon  its  earthly  career  without  this  supreme 
privilege  ?  Shall  we  carry  the  child  to  the  temple 
or  not?  Shall  we  rob  the  boy  of  his  spiritual 
birthright?  Shall  we  confront  his  free  young 
spirit  with  the  sublimest  object  of  reverence  and 
service  which  ever  appealed  to  human  spirits, 
Jesus  Christ,  the  divine  Son  and  Revealer  of  the 
eternal  Father?  To  accomplish  this  adequately 
is  not  the  work  of  a  day.  We  have  no  elaborate 
temple  ritual  now.  Our  appeal  must  be  to  intel- 
ligence, conscience  and  will,  by  the  truth,  through 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Parent,  teacher 
and  pastor  must  become  allies  in  this  holy  war. 
The  Sunday-school  must  more  and  more  prove 
a  factor  of  power  in  the  pastor's  work. 

Another  consideration  arises  here.  Revival 
work  seems  to  be  approaching  a  new  stage.  We 
hear  it  said  that  the  great  revivals  are  a  thing  of 
the  past.  In  his  later  years  Mr.  Moody's  work 
was  less  with  the  unsaved  and  more  with  the 
Christians  than  in  his  earlier  life.  The  great 
emotional  experiences  of  past  generations  in  times 
of  revival  seem  no  longer  possible.  Now  in  the 
view  of  this  writer  revivals  can  never  cease  so 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

long  as  there  are  sinners  to  be  saved  and  saints 
to  be  renewed.  But  they  may  change  somewhat 
in  many  of  their  features.  All  signs  seem  to 
point  to  the  conclusion  that  instruction  is  des- 
tined to  play  a  relatively  larger  part  in  them  than 
formerly.  Emotion  there  will  be  both  deep  and 
true,  though  possibly  less  demonstrative.  The 
evangelistic  appeal  which  shall  be  full-orbed  with 
power  will  reach  the  will  through  the  intellect, 
the  emotions  and  the  conscience.  The  spread  of 
general  education  has  created  a  condition  which 
will  more  and  more  make  instruction  necessary. 
There  is  nothing  new  in  this,  save  as  a  matter  of 
proportion.  Here  again  is  seen  the  strategic 
value  of  the  Sunday-school.  Already  in  many 
churches  the  Sunday-school  is  the  chief  and  al- 
most only  hope  for  church  growth.  But  whether 
iti  the  family  church,  or  the  church  among  the 
masses  of  the  great  city,  or  the  country  church, 
the  Sunday-school  will  remain  the  most  hopeful 
field  of  evangelistic  endeavor. 

There  are  two  suggestive  facts  brought  to 
light  in  recent  times  which  bear  in  an  interesting 
way  on  what  has  been  said.  These  facts  have 
been  discovered  by  careful  observation  of  what 
is  going  on  in  the  religious  world,  and  accurate 
statistics  which  have  been  gathered  by  competent 
students  of  the  subject.  One  of  these  facts  -is 
that  a  rapidly  increasing  percentage  of  all  the  con- 
versions which  are  taking  place  under  the  influ- 


INTRODUCTION.  tl 

ence  of  modern  preaching  is  from  the  scholars  of 
the  Sunday  -  schools.  Twenty-three  years  ago, 
one  writer  says,  forty  per  cent  of  the  conversions 
in  a  year  were  before  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  eighty 
per  cent  before  the  age  of  eighteen.  In  a  more 
recent  study  it  was  found  that  at  least  eighty  per 
cent  occurred  before  the  age  of  fifteen.  These 
conclusions  are  based  on  a  study  of  several  groups 
of  conversions  numbering  one  thousand  conver- 
sions in  each  group,  gathered  from  various  quar- 
ters. These  facts  alone  tell  a  story  full  of  inter- 
est and  significance  to  every  earnest  pastor. 

The  other  fact  that  is  of  even  more  interest  is 
that  the  period  when  the  mind  of  the  child  is  most 
responsive  to  religious  impressions  is  just  before 
or  about  the  time  of  adolescence,  say  from  the 
ages  of  eleven  to  fourteen.  An  intellectual  and 
a  spiritual  crisis  takes  place  about  the  same  time 
with  the  physical.  A  new  world  opens  then  to 
th.e  growing  spirit  of  the  boy  and  girl.  This 
above  all  others  is  the  time  that  is  critical.  In- 
fluences for  good  or  evil  now  invade  the  child's 
mind  with  peculiar  power.  It  is  not  when  the 
pulsing  life  is  hidden  in  the  twig  of  the  tree  in  the 
early  springtime,  nor  when  the  fruit  is  well 
formed  and  on  the  way  to  maturity  that  heat  and 
cold  affect  it  most.  It  is  at  the  point  between 
these  stages,  when  the  bud  is  about  to  burst  into 
blossom,  that  frost  bites  and  sunshine  warms 
with  greatest  power.     And  so  it  is  in  the  develop- 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

ment  of  human  character.  The  beginning  of  the 
period  of  transition  from  childhood  to  manhood 
and  womanhood  is  the  critical  moment.  Here 
again  we  have  fresh  instance  of  the  marvelous 
wisdom  of  the  Bible  and  of  the  Jews  who  were 
from  the  beginning  nurtured  in  its  teachings.  To 
expose  the  expanding  spirit  of  the  twelve-year- 
old  boy  to  the  powerful  impression  and  appeal  of 
the  stately  temple  worship,  and  to  the  religious 
environment  of  Jerusalem,  upon  the  occasion  of 
a  great  feast,  was  a  crowning  parental  service. 

Another  fact  to  be  noted  in  this  connection 
shows  the  darker  side  of  the  picture.  Many  pas- 
tors in  recent  years  have  had  occasion  to  note  the 
early  appearance  of  skepticism  among  the  young 
of  their  flock,  especially  in  communities  where 
public  or  other  school  advantages  are  good.  A 
bright  and  magnetic  but  unbelieving  teacher  in  a 
day  school  can,  in  a  thousand  ways,  inject  the 
poison  of  doubt  into  the  minds  of  boys  and  girls, 
and  often  this  is  without  conscious  effort  to  do  so. 
Moreover,  the  light  literature  of  the  day  in  the 
form  of  periodicals  and  novels,  while  often  ele- 
vating in  tone,  is  also  too  frequently  of  the  oppo- 
site type.  The  educated  boy  and  girl  is  sure  to 
run  the  gauntlet  of  such  books  and  periodicals. 
One  of  the  best  possible  means  of  counteracting 
this  influence  is  the  Sunday-school. 

If  the  writer  may  be  permitted  to  bear  witness 
to  a  personal  experience,  he  would  say  that,  all 


INTRODUCTION.  I3 

things  considered,  the  most  fruitful  year  in  fifteen 
of  his  pastoral  effort  was  most  intimately  con- 
nected with  the  Sunday-school.  This  came  about 
in  a  most  direct  and  simple  way.  Prior  to  a  series 
of  meetings,  in  which  the  pastor  did  the  preaching, 
the  matter  of  prayer  and  effort  for  the  conver- 
sion of  Sunday-school  scholars  was  first  laid  be- 
fore the  superintendent  and  teachers.  The  teach- 
ers were  requested  to  furnish  complete  lists  of 
their  classes,  with  brief  remarks  after  each 
name  indicating  whether  converted  or  unconvert- 
ed, and  any  other  points  of  interest.  These  were 
carefully  gone  over  and  the  facts  classified.  At 
the  next  prayer-meeting  these  were  set  forth  in 
connection  with  an  earnest  appeal  to  parents  on 
behalf  of  their  children.  A  holy  conspiracy  of 
parents,  teachers  and  pastor  was  entered  into 
with  a  view  to  seeking,  in  all  wise  and  practicable 
ways,  the  salvation  of  the  young  of  the  church 
and  Sunday-school.  During  that  winter  about 
fifty  of  them  were  baptized,  and  among  these  were 
some  of  the  most  interesting  and  striking  child 
conversions  I  have  ever  known.  In  the  pastoral 
training  class  which  was  formed  opportunity  was 
afforded  for  noting  not  only  the  religious  growth 
of  these  young  converts,  but  the  various  forms  of 
skepticism  which  had  already  begun  to  assail 
many  of  them  prior  to  their  conversion.  This 
experience  and  others  similar  to  it  impressed  most 
profoundly  upon  the  writer's  mind  the  supreme 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

value  of  the  work  our  Sunday-schools  are  doing, 
and  the  prime  necessity  of  providing  instruction 
upon  the  subject,  in  some  form,  in  our  theological 
seminaries.  This  latter  desire  took  the  form  of 
a  suggestion  regarding  a  lecture  course  on  the 
Sunday-school  in  the  Southern  Baptist  Theolog- 
ical Seminary.  It  was  heartily  endorsed  by  our 
Faculty  and  enlisted  promptly  the  interest  and 
co-operation  of  Rev.  J.  M.  Frost,  D.  D.,  Corre- 
sponding Secretary  of  the  Sunday  School  Board 
of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  as  well  as  of 
the  Board  itself.  It  is  due  to  this  co-operation  of 
the  Sunday  School  Board,  and  by  the  means  of  an 
annual  gift  from  them,  that  the  Seminary  is  able 
to  offer  its  students  courses  of  lectures  from  year 
to  year  on  the  Sunday-school. 

At  this  point  it  is  fitting  to  remark  that  the 
Sunday-school  idea  is  not  a  new  one  in  the  South- 
ern Baptist  Theological  Seminary.  It  is  not  suffi- 
ciently well  known  that  Broadus,  Manly  and  Wil- 
liams, in  the  earliest  years  of  the  Seminary,  were 
earnest  advocates  and  prime  movers  in  the  Sun- 
day-school enterprise  among  Southern  Baptists. 
C.  J.  Elford,  the  layman  is  one  whose  name 
should  stand  side  by  side  with  the  three  others 
named  as  co-worker  in  establishing  the  Sunday- 
school  movement.  I  was  about  to  say  these  were 
the  men  who  fathered  the  enterprise,  but  in 
view  of  the  tact  and  skill,  and  gentleness  and  pa- 
tience, the  perseverance  and  the  faith  of  these 


INTRODUCTION.  I5 

men  in  caring-  for  the  feeble  life  of  the  infant  in 
the  days  of  its  swaddling  clothes,  it  would  be 
more  accurate  to  say  they  were  the  men  who 
mothered  the  enterprise.  But  it  is  not  my  pur- 
pose to  trace  this  early  history  here.  Another 
hand  will  attend  to  that  task.  It  is  true,  however, 
that  interest  in  the  Sunday-school  and  practical 
effort  for  it  in  various  forms  have  from  the  begin- 
ning attended  the  life  of  the  Seminary.  In 
Louisville  it  has  done,  through  students  and  fac- 
ulty, a  notable  work  in  city  missions,  chiefly 
through  the  agency  of  a  wide  system  of  Sunday- 
schools. 

It  is  a  happy  circumstance  that  three  of  our 
educational  institutions  have  co-operated  with  the 
Sunday  School  Board  in  inaugurating  the  first 
course  of  lectures.  The  Seminary  in  inviting  the 
co-operation  of  the  Board  in  the  undertaking  and 
furnishing  the  platform  and  student  body;  the 
Board  in  its  generous  contribution  to  defray  the 
expenses  and  in  the  publication  of  the  lectures; 
Richmond  College  in  supplying  the  first  lecturer 
in  the  distinguished  chairman  of  its  Board  of 
Trustees,  Rev.  W.  E.  Hatcher,  D.  D.,  LL.D.  ; 
and  Mercer  University  by  means  of  a  gift  from 
its  honored  President,  P.  D.  Pollock,  LL.D.,  which 
is  to  be  held  as  a  publication  fund  and  whose  first 
use  will  be  the  printing  In  book  form  of  Dr. 
Hatcher's  lectures.  It  is  in  the  highest  degree 
fitting  that  this  combination  of  forces  should  take 


l6  INTRODUCTION. 

place  when  its  object  is  remembered.  That  ob- 
ject is  to  win  the  position  of  supreme  strategic 
importance  in  our  holy  war.  It  is  to  establish  an 
impregnable  fortress  of  spiritual  power  in  the 
Mount  Defiance  of  the  child  heart  and  life. 

As  to  the  lectures  themselves  it  is  needless  for 
me  to  speak.  The  lecturer  is  too  well  known 
to  require  any  Introduction,  least  of  all  from  this 
writer.  His  gifts  are  too  generally  recognized  to 
need  any  characterization.  The  reader  is  doubt- 
less already  eager  to  pass  from  this  introduction, 
as  from  a  light  first  course  to  the  feast  itself.  Dr. 
Hatcher  did  not  discuss  the  mechanics,  but  rather 
the  dynamics  of  the  Sunday-school.  The  man 
who  approaches  these  lectures  in  the  hope  of  find- 
ing hints  as  to  the  latest  blackboard  device,  or 
kindergarten  method  for  conducting  Sunday- 
schools  will  be  disappointed.  But  he  who  seeks 
instruction  and  Inspiration,  he  who  would  gain 
a  central  vantage  ground  of  great  elevation  for 
surveying  all  the  kingdom  of  childhood  and  the 
glory  thereof,  under  the  leadership  of  a  great 
mind,  a  great  heart,  and  a  rarely  gifted  pen,  will 
not  be  disappointed.  In  a  career  so  long  and  use- 
ful as  that  of  even  Dr.  Hatcher,  it  Is  a  question 
whether  he  has  ever  rendered  a  higher  service  to 
his  generation  than  in  this  course  of  lectures. 

E.   Y.   MULLINS. 
Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  Louisville,  Ky. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL 


LECTURE  I. 

THE  PASTOR  AT  THE  DOOR. 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 

I  am  not  insensible  to  the  honor  and  responsi- 
bility of  this  hour.  To  me  it  seems  beyond  all 
possibility  that  I  can  meet  the  expectations  which 
President  Mullins'  too  favorable  introduction 
must  awaken.  It  is,  however,  in  my  heart  to  use 
this  occasion  to  the  glory  of  Him  in  whose  name 
I  am  to  speak. 

The  spectacle  of  this  noble  audience  affects  me 
profoundly.  Such  an  array  of  culture,  piety  and 
Christian  leadership  inspires  while  it  oppresses 
me.  If  I  could  only  give  what  my  auditors  so 
well  deserve,  my  lectures  would  merit  enshrine- 
ment  in  the  annals  of  immortal  truth. 

It  is,  I  confess,  with  a  blush  that  I  appear  on 
this  platform  with  a  manuscript  in  hand.  It  is  an 
outrage  upon  my  own  record,  and  a  dangerous 
example  for  this  community,  and  my  comfort  is 
that  my  own  awkward  manipulation  of  this  for- 
midable document  may  prove  an  example  for 
warning,  and  not  for  imitation.     I  pledge  myself 


l8  THE   PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

that  my  sympathetic  eyes  will  often  break  from 
their  confinement,  and  beam  forth  with  affection 
for  my  audience,  conveying  them  a  reminder  now 
and  then  at  least  that  we  are  fellow-citizens  of  the 
same  world,  and  that  our  alienation  is  not  for- 
ever. However  hard  you  may  find  it  to  hear  me, 
I  will  find  it  easy  to  compassionate  you  in  your 
labor  to  hear. 

I  meet  you  with  a  theme  which  seems  restrict- 
ed, and  concerning  which  little  has  been  said. 
The  partial  study  which  I  have  given  to  it  has 
surprised  me,  forcing  upon  me  the  conviction  that 
an  adequate  discussion  of  the  Relation  the  Pas- 
tor and  the  Sunday-school  ought  to  bring  great 
and  far-reaching  changes  in  the  tone  and  govern- 
ment of  our  schools.  It  will  be  an  honor  and  a 
joy  if  my  lectures  shall  even  in  a  preliminary  de- 
gree compel  more  earnest  inquiry  on  the  subject. 

It  is  my  wish  to  deliver  my  messages  to  you  in 
a  flee  colloquial  style,  without  formality  and  with 
my  heart  open  to  any  inquiry  or  to  any  criticism 
which  may  be  fraternally  offered  during  or  after 
their  presentation.  As  we  are  to  be  associated 
in  the  study  of  this  matter  for  some  days,  I  ask 
that  we  may  form  a  brotherhood  and  work  to- 
gether. 

For  full  forty  years  my  eyes  have  watched  the 
movements  of  the  Christian  world,  and  I  have 
hailed  with  bounding  heart  every  sign  of  prog- 
ress.      As  you  may  well  imagine  my  fondest 


THE  PASTOR  AT  THE  DOOR.  I9 

thoughts  have  clustered  around  the  Baptists — the 
people  with  whom  my  convictions  have  given  me 
a  lifelong  identification,  and  it  is  in  no  spirit  of 
narrowness  that  I  add  that  my  closest  and  strong- 
est attention  has  been  fixed  upon  the  Baptists  of 
the  South.  It  has  been  with  them  that  I  have 
been  associated  in  the  most  affectionate  denomi- 
national affinity.  It  is  no  empty  compliment  to 
say  that  during  these  fleeting  years  our  people 
have  made  extraordinary  advancement.  They 
have  improved  in  almost  every  direction,  and  it 
would  be  perfectly  safe  to  declare  that  they  have 
shown  their  highest  progress  in  the  elevation  and 
improvement  of  their  ministry.  It  is  simple  jus- 
tice to  declare  that  the  preachers  of  to-day  strike 
me  as  far  more  efficient  than  were  the  ministry  of 
forty  years  ago.  Our  men  are  far  more  gen- 
erously cultivated,  more  exact  in  their  knowl- 
edge of  the  Scriptures,  more  skilled  in  the  homi- 
letical  art,  more  systematic  in  their  pastoral  meth- 
ods, and  more  steady  and  vital  in  their  activities. 
This  is  not  said  from  any  want  of  grateful  appre- 
ciation of  the  men  who  were  in  active  service  in 
the  early  days  of  my  ministry.  Far  be  the 
thought  from  me.  Princely  and  eloquent  many 
of  them  were,  and  they  would  have  ranked  high 
in  any  age  or  country.  Nor  must  my  judgment, 
thus  candidly  expressed,  be  taken  to  mean  that  in 
the  ministry  of  to-day  we  have  all  that  we  actu- 
ally need.     This  I  do  not  believe. 


20  THE   PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

I  suppose  that  we  must  have  some  great  men, 
men  full  of  inspiration  and  leadership,  men  of  im- 
perial eloquence,  and  men  of  genius  which  makes 
them  citizens  of  the  world.  But  God  is  strangely 
economical  in  the  creation  of  great  men.  Some 
one  has  said  that  he  makes  only  one  great  man  in 
a  century.  Professor  H.  H.  Harris  was  accus- 
tomed to  say  that  the  Lord  did  not  give  to  our 
denomination  many  men  of  extraordinary  power ; 
the  Baptists  had  little  need  of  exceptionally  great 
men,  and  really  had  no  places  for  them. 

I  give  it  as  my  deliberate  judgment  that  the 
supreme  need  of  this  generation — a  need  to  be 
felt  equally  in  all  coming  generations — is  the 
right  kind  of  pastors ;  men  who  combine  culture 
and  gumption;  men  who  can  preach  in  terse  and 
living  words  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God ;  men 
who  are  magnetic  in  their  energies  and  hopes, 
who  know  the  way  to  do  things,  who  can  dis- 
cover ministers  and  missionaries,  who  love  chil- 
dren, who  can  get  along  with  crooked  and  mel- 
ancholy people,  who  are  brave  enough  to  be  gentle 
and  pure  enough  to  be  trusted.  This  is  the  crying 
necessity  of  our  churches,  and  it  is  a  thing  for 
which  we  ought  to  send  a  prevailing  cry  up  to  the 
Lord  of  the  harvest.  While  we  have  not  yet  such 
pastors  as  we  ouglit  to  have,  we  have  better  pas- 
tors than  ever  before,  I  suppose,  in  the  history  of 
Christ's  cause  on  the  earth. 

On  one  point  in  the  ministerial  outfit  of  the 


THE  PASTOR  AT  THE  DOOR.  21 

day  I  feel  constrained  to  be  openly  critical.  It 
does  really  appear  that  our  ministers  are  strange- 
ly belated  in  the  matter  of  discovering  their  rela- 
tions to  the  Sunday  -  school  work  of  their 
churches.  If  these  lectures  accomplish  nothing 
else  I  feel  confident  that  they  will  unfold  one 
need — one  distinct,  grievous  and  injurious  lack 
in  our  denominational  equipment.  It  is  no  pessi- 
mistic deliverance  when  I  declare  that  many  of 
our  ministers,  valuable  in  other  respects,  are  lost 
in  our  Sunday-schools.  They  are  aliens  in  their 
houses ;  they  are  destitute  of  fitness  for  service  in 
one  of  the  most  important  phases  of  Christian 
evangelization.  Their  commission  does  not  seem 
to  include  any  specific  instruction  as  to  the  duty 
which  belongs  to  them  in  connection  with  the 
teaching  of  the  Scriptures  to  the  people.  This  is 
not  universally  true  —  it  may  not  be  generally 
true,  but  I  am  sure  that  a  candid  study  of  the  sit- 
uation would  reveal  the  fact  that  the  average  pas- 
tor cuts  an  insignificant  figure  in  the  Sunday- 
school,  and  that  his  withdrawal  or  death  would 
prove  a  slight  appreciable  loss  to  the  school. 

Little  wonder  is  it  that  our  churches  do  not 
seem  to  expect  much  in  this  respect  from  the  pas- 
tors. It  is  to  be  feared  that  their  experiences 
have  constrained  them  to  think  of  the  pastor  as 
something  quite  distinctly  apart  from  the  Bible 
school.  Hence  we  find  that  when  the  question  of 
a  new  pastor  is  engaging  the  thoughts  of  a  church, 


22  THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

inquiries  abound,  but  rarely  one  of  them  touches 
the  fitness  of  the  man  for  leadership  in  the  Sun- 
day-school. His  record  is  overhauled  with  un- 
sparing candor  as  to  his  appearance,  voice,  expe- 
rience, preaching  ability,  his  wife,  his  health,  his 
business  habits  and  his  social  qualities,  but  when 
do  we  hear  earnest  questions  as  to  his  skill  as  a 
Sunday-school  leader? 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  little  emphasis 
has  ever  been  placed  on  the  relation  which  a  pas- 
tor ought  to  bear  to  the  department  of  Biblical 
instruction  in  our  church  work.  This  fact  may 
well  bring  us  to  sober  meditation. 

It  is  not  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  it  was 
a  knowledge  of  this  weak  point  in  our  denomina- 
tional equipment  which  led  to  the  inauguration 
of  this  course  of  Sunday-school  lectures,  and 
especially  to  the  selection  of  the  subject  for  the 
particular  series  of  lectures  which  begins  this  day. 
The  present  theme  is  peculiar,  and  is  rendered  the 
more  difficult  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  there  is 
no  literature  on  the  subject  which  is  helpful  in  the 
present  discussions.  Nor  does  it  open  any  field 
for  philosophical  speculation,  nor  for  high  learn- 
ing— a  fortunate  fact  for  the  lecturer — nor  yet 
for  swelling  strains  of  eloquence.  What  is  really 
called  for  is  a  serious  and  candid  discussion  of  a 
duty,  apparently  little  understood,  often  disre- 
garded, and  which  yet  touches  the  very  chords  of 
life  in  our  churches.       If  one  of  our  leading 


THE   PASTOR   AT  THE   DOOR.  23 

American  universities  has  felt  it  worth  while  to 
open  its  halls  for  a  series  of  Sunday-school  lec- 
tures, surely  it  can  not  be  inappropriate  here  in 
our  beloved  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Semi- 
nary to  give  free  discussion  to  any  phase  of  the 
vast  Sunday-school  enterprise. 

No  apology  is  offered  for  beginning  this  course 
of  lectures  with  the  proposition  that  a  minister 
who  can  not  thoroughly  identify  himself  with  his 
Sunday-school  ought  not  to  be  a  pastor.  Unfit- 
ness for  service  in  this  cardinal  branch  of  Chris- 
tian activity  amounts  to  a  disability.  To  be  use- 
less in  that  department  of  church  work  which  has 
to  do  with  the  study  of  the  Scriptures  and  with 
the  salvation  of  the  young  is  to  offer  an  over- 
whelming argument  against  one's  worthiness  of 
a  pastoral  charge.  If  this  statement  is  justified 
then  it  must  at  once  become  a  question  of  trans- 
cendent importance  as  to  what  a  minister  is  to  be 
and  what  he  is  to  do  in  the  Sunday-school. 

Now,  it  is  readily  granted  that  the  Lord  calls 
men  of  widely  variant  gifts  into  the  ministry, 
among  whom  are  some  evidently  not  intended 
for  the  pastorate.  Perhaps  we  may  take  this  for 
granted  more  readily  because  it  relieves  us  of  all 
temptation  to  suspect  that  they  have  not  been 
called  at  all,  since  they  indicate  such  a  total  lack 
of  adaptation  to  the  pastoral  life.  But  when  a 
man  allows  himself  to  be  selected  as  a  pastor  of  a 
church  and  actually  enters  upon  the  duties  of 


24  THE   PASTOR   AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

the  position,  he  practically  avows  his  purpose  to 
do  the  full  task  of  a  pastor. 

The  doctrine  of  a  plurality  of  elders  has  re- 
ceived scant  recognition  at  the  hands  of  Baptists. 
We  sometimes  have  an  approximation  to  the 
idea  of  this  doctrine  in  what  is  known  as  the  as- 
sistant pastor,  who  usually  amounts  to  little  more 
than  a  cheap  device  for  cultivating  the  pomp  and 
pride  of  the  chief,  and  the  emptiness  and  wretch- 
edness of  the  subordinate.  The  ideal  pastorate 
is  one  man  for  one  church — one  man — one  man, 
one  whole  man  for  one  church,  and  every  member 
of  that  church  ardently  and  intelligently  support- 
ing the  pastor  in  all  his  varied  and  onerous  du- 
ties. In  this  arrangement,  so  beautiful  and  inti- 
mate, there  is  the  best  provision  for  the  happiness 
and  usefulness  of  the  pastor,  and  the  unity,  fel- 
lowship and  progress  of  the  church. 

In  sight  of  this  sacred  relationship  between  the 
church  and  pastor,  we  would  outrage  every  senti- 
ment of  order,  completeness  and  power  if  we 
were  to  seek  to  eliminate  the  pastor  from  the 
Sunday-school.  The  bare  suggestion  implies  a 
wrong  to  the  church,  and  yet  it  is  surprising  to 
observe  the  inadequate  and  unsatisfactory  views 
which  prevail  on  this  subject.  Many  ministers 
openly  depreciate  or  wantonly  ignore  their  rela- 
tion to  the  Sunday-school.  It  is  a  trying,  though 
possibly  a  necessary  task  to  mention  some  of  the 


THE  PASTOR  AT  THE  DOOR.  2$ 

methods  by  which  pastors  would  legislate  them- 
selves out  of  the  Sunday-school. 

There  be  some  who  with  frigid  languor  would 
tell  us  that  they  have  no  turn  for  the  Sunday- 
school.  They  insist  that  they  find  themselves 
awkward  and  uncomfortable  in  the  school,  and 
they  might  with  mournful  candor  testify  that 
their  presence  is  a  confusion  and  hindrance  to  the 
school  itself.  But  it  ought  not  to  be  so.  There 
is  something  startling  in  the  simple  declaration 
that  a  pastor  feels  himself  ill  at  ease  in  connec- 
tion with  any  part  of  his  church  work,  and  most 
of  all  in  work  connected  with  the  religious  in- 
struction of  the  young.  The  confession  is  rank 
testimony  against  any  minister.  If  he  is  con- 
firmed in  this  feeling  then  he  is  fatally  disquali- 
fied for  the  pastoral  office. 

Of  course  young  ministers  always  feel  the  em- 
barrassment of  the  novice  at  the  beginning,  but 
they  have  to  learn  by  experience.  By  entering 
warmly  into  the  life  of  the  school  a  young  pastor 
will  quickly  become  a  living  factor  in  its  work. 
It  does  not  take  an  earnest  and  flexible  man  long 
to  catch  the  way  of  things  and  of  passing  from 
the  state  of  a  novice  to  that  of  an  expert,  though 
for  that  matter  he  will  need  to  be  on  the  alert  and 
ready  to  learn  as  long  as  he  lives. 

I  mention  with  regret  another  class  of  minis- 
ters who  seek  to  escape  the  duties  which  they  owe 
to  the  Sunday-school  by  affecting  to  be  above  the 


26  THE    PASTOR    AND   THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

grade  of  service  which  is  done  in  the  school.  They 
actually  characterize  the  business  done  in  the 
Sunday-school  as  of  an  inferior  quality — as  some- 
thing beneath  them,  fit  only  for  more  ordinary 
mortals.  This  wanton  depreciation  of  this  fea- 
ture of  Christian  activity  is  culpable  indeed,  and 
stamps  the  shame  of  incompetency  upon  those 
who  are  guilty  of  it.  No  work  can  outrank  the 
instruction  of  the  young  in  the  doctrines  of  the 
Word  of  God. 

A  plea  heard  too  often,  and  by  some  with  en- 
tirely too  much  sympathy,  is  that  the  participation 
in  the  exercises  of  the  Sunday-school  makes  too 
severe  a  draught  upon  the  nervous  vitality  of  the 
minister.  It  is  not  denied  that  men  who  stand 
before  congregations  to  preach  the  Word  need  to 
have  ample  nervous  resources  at  command  when 
they  enter  the  pulpit.  But  it  is  after  all  a 
groundless  plea  that  a  minister's  natural  fresh- 
ness is  so  far  expended  in  the  Sunday-school  as  to 
unfit  him  for  the  sermon.  At  least  it  ought  not 
to  be  true  and  will  not  be  true  if  the  man  enters 
with  ease  and  zest  into  his  part. 

As  a  fact  the  strain  is  far  greater  upon  the  offi- 
cer or  teacher  than  it  needs  to  be  on  the  minister. 
We  know,  too,  that  nervous  vigor  is  just  as  neces- 
sary to  effective  listening  as  it  is  to  effective 
speaking.  The  plea  that  would  excuse  the  minis- 
ter from  the  school  would  as  effectually  excuse 
the  officer  and  teacher  from  the  sermon.     When 


THE  PASTOR  AT  THE  DOOR.  27 

ministers  are  fully  alive  to  their  opportunities  and 
escape  from  thoughts  of  themselves  they  will 
cease  to  complain  of  the  fatigues  of  the  Sunday- 
school.  Indeed,  there  is  inherent  exhilaration  in 
fellowship  with  ardent  Bible  students,  and  the 
young  life  in  a  Sunday-school  ought  to  be  the 
fountain  at  which  the  soul  of  the  pastor  would 
ever  rejoice  to  drink. 

Some  pastors  complain  that  there  is  no  place 
for  them  in  the  Sunday-school.  They  insist  that 
they  are  omitted  from  the  organization,  and  that 
they  feel  as  if  they  were  intruders.  As  well  may 
an  overseer  make  complaint  that  there  is  no  place 
for  him  in  the  field  where  the  laborers  are  en- 
gaged. His  place  is  always  at  the  head.  Now  it 
may  chance  that  in  some  cases  the  pastor  may  be 
put  at  disadvantage  by  the  imperfection  of  the 
make-up  of  the  school.  But  be  it  remembered 
that  where  this  is  the  case  it  does  not  constitute 
a  reason  for  the  pastor's  retirement,  but  it  sug- 
gests that  he  must  in  a  discreet  way  effect  such 
changes  as  will  secure  his  rights  and  authority. 

But  let  me  say  a  special  word  to  the  country 
pastor.  For  him  I  cherish  a  reverential  affection. 
He  stands  at  the  fountain  whence  flows  the  pur- 
est material  that  goes  to  make  up  our  Christian 
civilization,  and  which  is  largely  the  conservative 
force  in  our  city  churches.  It  is  too  easy  for  the 
country  pastor  to  persuade  himself  that  he  being 
present  but  seldom,  and  then   under  disadvan- 


28  THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

tages,  ought  to  be  relieved  from  duty  in  the  Sun- 
day-school. Above  all  others  he  ought  to  be  a 
living  and  animating  force  in  his  little  school.  As 
a  rule  he  deals  with  a  school  which  is  maintained 
under  difficulties,  and  which  has  little  either  in 
resources  or  generous  competition  to  keep  ft 
afloat.  Ah,  the  coming  of  the  pastor  ought  to  be 
the  sunlight  of  heaven  to  that  school.  The  smile 
on  his  face,  the  cordial  handshake,  his  buoyant 
words,  his  whole  personality,  next  to  the  unction 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  ought  to  constitute  the  crown- 
ing glory  of  the  school.  These  simple  reflections 
lead  us  up  to  the  central  thought  of  this  lecture 
— the  imperial  rank  of  the  Sunday-school  in  the 
community  of  Christian  enterprises. 

It  does  not  comport  with  the  scope  of  these 
lectures  to  attempt  any  history;  we  must  restrict 
ourselves  to  the  living  problem  embodied  in  the 
subject  assigned  for  this  special  course  of  lec- 
tures. At  the  same  time  it  is  proper  to  remind 
you  that  the  custom  as  well  as  the  duty  of  teach- 
ing the  Scriptures  has  always  been  observed. 
From  the  earliest  stages  of  their  national  and  re- 
ligious life  the  ancient  people  of  God  were  care- 
ful to  instruct  their  children  in  the  matters  of  the 
law.  This  they  did  for  their  own  children  and 
quite  often  for  their  neighbor's  children.  The 
synagogue  was  in  no  small  degree  a  school  where 
the  old  Scriptures  were  read,  discussed  and  stud- 
ied.    Throughout  the  centuries,  even  the  darkest 


THE  PASTOR  AT  THE  DOOR.  29 

of  those  which  fall  within  the  Christian  dispensa- 
tion, there  has  burned  in  devout  souls  a  love  for 
the  word  of  the  Lord,  and  much  work  was  done 
here  and  there,  sometimes  in  organized  form, 
often  by  strong  individual  lovers  of  the  truth, 
unaided  by  mortal  friend,  and  while  much  of  this 
could  find  no  place  in  history  the  proof  is  abun- 
dant that  the  gospel  teacher  has  ever  been  abroad. 
All  honor  to  those  who  in  dark  times,  when  it 
was  a  civil  crime  to  have  a  Bible,  and  when  to 
teach  it  to  others  was  at  the  peril  of  life,  fearless- 
ly sought  to  teach  the  Scriptures  of  God  to  the 
people.  They  were  the  pioneers  of  the  Sunday- 
school,  and  we  have  come  into  the  harvest  the 
seeds  of  which  they  planted  long  ago. 

In  many  respects  the  Sunday-school  is  a  mod- 
ern institution.  It  is  a  vast  improvement  on  the 
past  and  is  one  of  the  phenomenal  products  of 
Christianity,  worthy  of  universal  recognition  as 
the  most  flexible,  adaptable,  far-reaching  institu- 
tions ever  yet  devised  for  the  conversion  of  this 
world. 

It  came  into  existence  without  flourish  of 
trumpets,  gained  admission  into  the  Christian 
heart  of  the  world,  and  has  received  a  welcome 
from  every  creed  and  sect.  It  wears  about  it  the 
loftiest  dignities  and  yet  comes  with  a  smile  for 
every  child  and  a  message  of  peace  for  every  in- 
quirer after  the  way  of  life. 

It  is  not  an  easy  task  to  estimate  the  value  of 


30  THE   PASTOR   AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

the  Sunday-school.  It  is  a  school  with  a  single 
text-book,  and  that  the  word  of  God,  and  this  in- 
vests it  with  an  interest  all  its  own.  It  has  calmly 
chosen  the  entire  human  family  as  its  constituen- 
cy, and  is  enrolling  its  students  by  the  million.  It 
has  a  place  for  the  little  ones — the  precious  little 
toddlers  as  they  emerge  from  the  nursery ;  it  has 
grades  of  instruction  suited  to  youth,  at  its  most 
receptive  and  growthful  stage — it  provides  for 
the  advanced  students,  those  who  study  critically 
as  well  as  devoutly.  Indeed,  it  is  essentially  a 
university,  including  its  long  line  of  primary  and 
intermediate  studies  as  well  as  its  advanced 
courses  for  those  who  are  capable  of  taking  them. 

One  point  of  view  which  reveals  to  the  Sun- 
day-school to  us  in  its  lofty  rank  is  gained  when 
v/e  fix  our  eyes  on  those  who  are  in  the  lead  of  it. 
What  royal  friends  and  supporters  it  has — min- 
isters, scholars,  eminent  teachers  from  colleges 
and  universities,  men  of  every  noble  profession, 
men  of  great  affairs,  men  of  wealth  and  power  in 
the  large  walks  of  trade  and  finance,  and  better 
yet,  women  chosen  of  God  and  in  living  fellow- 
ship with  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  millions  of  them, 
whose  perpetual  joy  is  the  study  of  the  words 
which  God  hath  spoken  unto  us.  If  we  are 
known  by  the  company  we  keep,  then  what  a 
noble  enterprise  the  Sunday-school  is  as  it  is 
judged  by  its  peerless  friends. 

I  stand  uncovered  too  before  the  achievements 


THE  PASTOR  AT  THE  DOOR.  3I 

of  the  Sunday-school.  What  mammoth  organi- 
zations it  has  called  into  existence  to  do  its 
bidding  and  minister  to  its  wants.  It  has 
created  a  literature  of  its  own  and  is  fast  learn- 
ing how  to  appropriate  to  itself  all  true  litera- 
ture. It  has  a  kinship  for  all  noble  things,  and 
draws  from  every  quarter,  material  for  its  own 
advancement.  Itself  a  peerless  educational 
power,  it  infuses  its  broadening  educational 
spirit  into  other  things. 

No  statistician  will  ever  be  able  to  count  up 
its  contributions  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
Well,  may  our  churches  pay  grateful  court  to 
this  mighty  arm  of  their  strength  for  accessions 
through  its  gracious  agency.  It  is  glorious  to 
see  its  lovers  surging  through  the  streets  of  our 
cities  and  along  the  rural  highways  on  Sunday, 
as  on  light  feet  they  trip  eagerly  away  to  their 
schools.  It  is  even  better  to  think  of  the  count- 
less thousands  which  year  by  year  are  escorted  to 
the  gates  of  the  Celestial  Kingdom  and  intro- 
duced into  the  Master's  presence  by  this  benign 
Christian  force.  Ah,  it  is  ravishing  to  think  of 
the  armies  upon  armies  of  the  young  who  have 
gone  to  heaven  shouting  the  Redeemer's  praises 
as  they  went.  They  were  the  fruits  of  the  Sun- 
day-school, and  yet  the  schools,  like  the  orchards 
of  God,  are  bearing  twelve  manner  of  fruit  every 
month. 

It  is  never  wise  to  compare  invidiously  the  sev- 


32  THE   PASTOR   AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

eral  organized  movements  for  bringing  in  the 
reign  of  the  Son  of  God  on  earth.  They  are  born 
of  the  same  spirit,  woven  into  essential  unity,  and 
merely  parts  of  machinery  used  to  carry  forward 
the  kingdom  of  God  in  its  resistless  strides  to- 
wards the  millenial  glory.  I  make  no  compari- 
son now,  but  I  do  desire  to  unveil  the  real  atti- 
tude and  province  of  the  Sunday-school.  It  is 
not  enough  to  say  that  it  does  its  work  at  the 
bottom — much  of  it  is  foundation  work  and  large- 
ly done  out  of  sight.  This  is  true,  and  glorious- 
ly true.  But  more  than  this  is  true.  The  Sun- 
day-school is  the  only  means  we  have  for  holding 
our  people  to  the  study  of  the  Bible  all  the  time, 
particularly  for  its  study  in  company,  and  under 
the  best  attainable  helps.  It  is  the  unrivaled 
training  school  for  Christian  works.  It  opens  a 
field  for  employing  and  exalting  the  culture,  intel- 
ligence and  influence  of  our  people.  It  is  a  liv- 
ing, throbbing,  unanswerable  argument  in  favor 
of  the  Book  of  Revelation,  and  the  value  of  the 
salvation  through  Jesus  Christ. 

If  the  Sunday-school  holds  the  superior  rank 
here  distinctly  claimed  for  it,  we  must  feel  more 
deeply  than  ever  that  the  Christian  minister  ought 
to  be  intimately  associated  with  it.  This  infer- 
ence is  simply  irresistible.  If  his  hand  is  off 
here  its  grasp  must  be  feeble  elsewhere  and  every- 
where. If  he  is  lost  here  nothing  else  can  save 
him.     To  be  a  nonentity  at  the  point  where  the 


THE  PASTOR  AT  THE  DOOR.  33 

word  of  God  Is  at  stake,  is  to  be  a  feeble  and  un- 
located  entity  at  otlier  points.  His  business  is 
with  the  Bible  and  with  the  people,  and  it  ought  to 
be  with  the  people  in  their  handling  of  the  Bible. 
As  a  teacher  he  is  needed  to  explain  the  Bible ;  as 
a  preacher  he  is  to  proclaim  it ;  as  a  leader  he  is 
to  commend  it ;  as  an  overseer  he  is  to  see  that  it 
is  rightly  taught ;  as  a  shepherd  he  is  to  see  that 
the  bread  of  life  is  well  served  to  his  flock ;  as  a 
servant  he  is  to  help  those  who  are  engaged  in 
teaching  the  truth  of  God.  There  is  no  point  in 
the  Sunday-school  at  which  the  pastor  is  not  use- 
ful and  necessary.  It  is  utterly  impossible  for 
me  to  express  my  sense  of  the  sanctity  and 
strength  of  that  tie  which  ought  to  exist  between 
a  pastor  and  his  Sunday-school.  It  is  not  enough 
for  him  to  be  a  factor  in  the  school,  but  a  con- 
trolling and  energizing  factor  as  will  be  made  to 
appear  in  the  next  lecture. 

Now,  for  every  position  of  duty  there  must  be 
special  preparation.  No  man  Is  fitted  to  dis- 
charge the  governmental  or  didactic  functions  of 
a  pastor  until  he  has  been  ripely  and  adequately 
trained  for  it.  Hence  we  may  rightly  challenge 
the  pastor  at  the  door  of  the  Sunday-school  and 
ask  to  examine  his  credentials.  Before  he  enters 
let  him  approve  himself  worthy  of  a  place  in  the 
school.  He  has  no  right  to  go  blundering  Into 
the  school.  If  he  goes  in,  it  must  not  be  as  a  raw 
recruit,  but  as  the  chief  actor  of  the  occasion. 


34  THE   PASTOR   AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

I.  It  is  fortunate  for  a  pastor  to  have  experi- 
mental preparation.  We  know  that  it  is  a  com- 
mon maxim  of  business  men  that  a  man  in  order 
to  reach  the  highest  efficiency,  ought  to  start  at 
the  bottom,  The  papers  made  mention  lately  of 
the  fact  that  the  son  of  one  of  the  millionaires  of 
New  York  decided  to  enter  into  business  with  his 
father.  He  had  already  finished  in  one  of  the 
leading  universities  of  New  England  and  had 
given  several  years  to  social  dissipation,  but  when 
he  determined  to  be  a  business  master  he  began  at 
a  servant's  place.  He  needed  to  know  the  busi- 
ness from  the  bottom  to  the  top,  and  he  had  to 
understand  the  bottom  before  he  knew  what  to  do 
at  the  top.     He  who  would  reign  must  first  serve. 

I  am  convinced  that  our  ministerial  students 
are  too  hasty  in  seeking  to  do  ministerial  labors. 
It  is  a  grave  mistake.  It  has  been  my  earnest 
policy  in  dealing  with  ministerial  students  when 
they  first  enter  college  to  place  them  in  Bible 
classes  in  the  Sunday-school.  This  not  more  for 
the  instruction  they  gain  than  for  the  experience 
in  the  management  of  a  Bible  class,  which  they 
get  in  that  way.  It  is  worth  much  to  see  things 
from  a  scholar's  point  of  view,  and  he  who  gets 
this  experience  has  won  an  excellent  point  in 
education  for  the  pastorate. 

Fortunate  indeed  is  the  young  minister  whose 
life  commenced  in  the  Sunday-school  and  who 


THE  PASTOR  AT  THE  DOOR.  35 

passed  from  the  infant  class  up  through  the  sev- 
eral grades  of  the  school. 

On  every  point  in  a  Sunday-school  the  pastor 
ought  to  be  a  master.  So  far  as  the  school  is  a 
piece  of  machinery  he  ought  to  know  every  wheel, 
pulley  and  band.  So  far  as  the  school  is  a  busi- 
ness body,  he  ought  to  know  its  outer  and  inner 
life,  its  organization,  its  methods  and  its  financial 
management.  So  far  as  the  school  is  an  institu- 
tion he  ought  to  know  its  history,  its  strength,  its 
purposes  and  its  equipment.  So  far  as  it  is  an  as- 
sociation he  ought  to  know  its  members,  its  spirit, 
its  resources  and  its  dangers.  So  far  as  it  is  a 
school  he  ought  to  know  its  teaching  force,  its 
ever  recurring  wants  and  its  sources  of  supply. 
In  a  word,  the  pastor  ought  to  know  more  about 
the  school  than  any  one  else  or  all  others  put  to- 
gether. 

Now,  to  some  these  things  come  naturally  and 
almost  at  once,  but  not  to  many  this  way ;  others 
acquire  rapidly  and  speedily  adjust  themselves 
to  new  situations,  and  others  yet  have  to  come  to 
the  throne  slowly  and  by  stopping  many  times 
along  the  way  to  pray  for  help,  but  in  all  cases 
they  are  the  better  fitted  by  the  actual  contacts 
and  experiences  in  previous  Sunday-school  work. 

It  strengthens  a  school  wonderfully  to  have  a 
pastor  who  really  knows  all  about  it,  who  can 
bridge  a  turbid  stream,  who  can  heal  a  breach, 
wrest   victory   from   a   scene   of   confusion   and 


36  THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

make  things  go.  What  a  charm  a  man  like  that 
will  throw  over  a  school !  How  ill  temper,  de- 
spondency and  discontent  will  dissolve  before 
him!  Then,  too,  how  inexpressibly  sweet  is  this 
sense  of  mastery  to  the  pastor.  That  subtle  sense 
of  superiority  will  not  inflate  him  with  pride,  but 
it  will  gird  him  for  the  emergencies  and  be  his 
support  when  there  is  no  one  to  sustain  him. 

2.  You  must  allow  me  to  put  here  a  distinct 
plea  for  generous  culture  as  a  valuable  adjunct 
to  a  pastor's  outfit.  I  set  up  no  claim  that  an 
education  simply  will  make  a  pastor — as  a  fact 
it  sometimes  unmakes  him,  or  rather  renders  his 
making  forever  impossible.  Culture  is  not  a 
substitute  for  common  sense.  Mother  wit  is  al- 
ways at  a  premium  in  this  world.  Nor  do  I  in- 
tend for  you  to  infer  that  I  think  no  man  can 
be  a  good  pastor  without  the  learning  of  the 
schools.  This  is  not  true  to  the  facts,  but  as  a 
rule  you  may  put  it  down  that  the  man  who  wan- 
tonly rejects  liberal  learning  is  not  the  man  who 
succeeds  without  higher  learning;  it  is  rather  the 
brother  who  longed  for  the  learning  but  missed 
the  opportunity  to  get  it.  As  a  ruh  the  man  who 
attempts  to  slur  over  his  duties  in  school  will 
treat  his  pastoral  work,  and  his  wife  (that  he  will 
be  sure  to  get  In  quick  time)  in  the  same  way. 
Nor  can  I  allow  you  to  suspect  that  I  am  exalting 
culture  at  the  expense  of  other  things.  A  min- 
ister may  be  a  scholar  and  yet  not  a  pastor.    Least 


THE   PASTOR  AT  THE   DOOR  37 

of  all  would  I  be  willing  for  you  to  get  the  im- 
pression that  a  man  may  substitute  a  shallow  and 
pretentious  learning  in  the  place  of  the  true  and 
ample  preparation  for  which  I  do  most  fervently 
plead.  Away  with  your  fussy  pedantry, 
your  rattling  stock  of  quotations  from  Ruskin, 
Browning  or  Tennyson,  whose  works  you  have 
really  never  read,  your  parade  of  Biblical  lore, 
your  attempts  to  cover  your  emptiness  of  thought 
by  telling  what  somebody  else  said,  or  by  flutter- 
ing out  your  own  feathery  and  flighty  produc- 
tions. Cheapness  in  the  ministry  is  a  stab  at  the 
Son  of  God.  I  spurn  and  trample  in  the  dirt  the 
mere  parade  of  learning  under  the  name  of 
preaching. 

But  after  all,  common  people  have  a  deal  more 
of  penetration  and  judicial  sense  than  half-edu- 
cated and  half-hearted  ministers  ever  suspected. 
They  love  a  scholar,  provided  he  is  richly  human. 
They  will  die  for  the  man  who  when  brought  to 
the  test  knows.  They  will  hang  on  the  brother 
who  has  command  of  his  resources ;  they  honor 
the  full  mind,  and  almost  worship  a  scholar  who 
is  open,  free  hearted  and  at  home  with  them.  To 
them  the  men  of  culture  are  high  priests  of  wis- 
dom, and  they  bow  at  their  feet  most  reverently. 
It  makes  a  common  mind  throb  with  new  aspira- 
tions to  touch  a  great  man,  and  it  pleases  him  unto 
pride  for  him  to  get  a  bit  of  knowledge  straight 
from  the  fountain  of  intellectual  power,  and  to 


38  THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

feel  that  there  are  stores  more  of  the  same  sort 
where  that  came  from.  By  the  way,  it  always 
adds  immeasurably  to  the  satisfaction  of  hearing 
something  racy  and  clear  on  a  vexed  question, 
to  know  where  it  came  from.  To  get  the  fruit 
of  some  original  thinking  out  of  men  is  to  feel 
the  very  joy  of  life.  I  have  seen  plain  men,  men 
who  did  not  read  but  thought  earnestly,  brighten 
into  intoxication  when  they  had  moments  of  fel- 
lowship with  the  men  of  learning. 

There  must  be  in  a  minister  a  good  foundation 
on  which  others  may  build  their  respect  for  him. 
You  may  plead  as  much  as  you  choose  as  to  what 
is  due  a  pastor,  but  after  all  that  deep  regard, 
that  willingness  to  follow  him  as  a  teacher  and  a 
leader  must  come  far  more  from  his  personality 
than  from  his  office.  That  is  a  cruel  situation 
which  can  not  endure  long  where  a  people  have 
to  stick  to  a  man  on  account  of  his  office  rather 
than  because  of  their  living  persuasion  that  he  is 
in  truth  the  man  for  the  office.  Ministers  have 
not  learned  adequately  to  sympathize  with  their 
churches  in  their  efforts  to  love  them  when  they 
can  not  respect  them. 

I  rode  some  time  ago  with  a  warm-hearted 
deacon  at  the  hour  of  twilight.  He  was  taking 
me  to  his  home  for  the  night,  and  was  all  aflame 
with  the  dedication  of  the  new  house  of  worship 
which  was  coming  on  the  next  day.  His  tongue 
ran  freely,  but  it  carried  holy  freight,  loving  trib- 


THE  PASTOR  AT  THE  DOOR.  39 

utes  to  his  brethren  of  the  church,  gratitude  for 
outsiders  who  had  been  nobly  generous  in  build- 
ing the  new  church,  some  sacred  boasting  of  the 
Sunday-school,  its  fine  faithful  teachers  and  the 
good  scholars.  It  was  a  stream  of  honest  joy 
which  poured  from  his  soul,  and  he  knew  not 
what  a  fine  light  he  flung  upon  himself  by  the 
magnanimous  tone  in  which  he  praised  others. 
He  had  an  eye  for  the  good,  and  he  anointed  me 
with  the  oil  of  his  own  great  nature.  ''Yes,"  he 
said,  rather  haltingly  in  answer  to  my  question, 
"we  have  a  lovely  young  pastor."  There  he  held 
up  as  if  his  mind  was  about  to  suffer  a  conges- 
tion of  conflicting  thoughts.  He  added  with 
mingled  sincerity  and  compassion  that  the  brother 
was  trying  to  be  faithful,  and  then  in  the  most 
wholesom.e  sc  rrow,  with  a  purely  unpremeditated 
candor,  he  said  almost  convulsively,  ''But  isn't  it 
a  pity,  brother,  that  he  entered  the  ministry  be- 
fore he  was  ready?" 

He  spoke  the  truth  I  knew,  for  I  knew  the 
young  man.  It  was  no  secret  that  he  had  flanked 
the  steep  places  at  the  academy,  had  jumped  the 
examinations  at  the  college,  had  wasted  his  sub- 
stance, if  not  with  riotous  living,  in  writing  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth  in  quest  of  a  place,  and  had 
suffered  an  acute  attack  of  the  matrimonial  men- 
ingitis at  the  seminary,  and  had  lifted  himself 
into  this  his  first  pastorate  by  the  use  of  recom- 
mendations which  he  had  solicited  and  was  now 


40  THE   PASTOR   AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

dimly  perceiving  that  he  was  paying  the  penalty 
of  his  own  folly. 

As  I  observed  him  the  next  day  I  fixed  my 
eyes  upon  his  brow  and  it  lacked  those  delicate 
traceries  of  care  and  study  which  are  the  best 
credentials  of  a  young  minister.       His  manner 
bespoke  a  courage  which  in  his  deeper  conscious- 
ness he  did  not  feel,  and  was  suggestive  of  bra- 
vado rather  than  bravery.       During  the   parts 
which  he  took,  and  he  took  several,  he  tripped  on 
two   pronunciations,   gave   old   grammar   several 
digs  in  her  lacerated  sides,  said  an  impossible  and 
preposterous    thing   during   the    reading   of   the 
Bible,  about  what  it  was  in  the  original,  and  said 
it  as  if  he  had  traveled  extensively  in  that  distant 
country  and  knew  all  about  it.     There  was  an 
evident  effort  on  his  part  to  impress  the  congre- 
gation with  the  belief  that  he  knew.     Alas,  and 
tides  of  woe,  it  was  plain  as  noon  that  he  did  not 
know,  and  that  those  country  folks  who  knew 
next  to  nothing  about  barber  shops  nor  the  newest 
styles  in  neckties  did  know  that  he  did  not  know 
what  he  was  talking  about.     These  country  folks 
are  a  sight,  I  tell  you.     They  can  sample  a  man 
relentlessly,  reduce  him  to  his  orighial  elements, 
which  in  some  cases  are  about  all  the  originality 
which  men  of  his  type  have,  and  weigh  and  label 
the  ingredients  at  their  market  value.     He  who 
accounts  country  people  fools  fools  only  himself. 
You  ought  not  to  need  to  be  told  that  nowhere 


THE  PASTOR  AT  THE  DOOR.  4I 

on  earth  does  the  ripened  culture  of  the  pastor 
appear  to  greater  advantage  than  it  does  in  the 
Sunday-school,  and  that  for  manifest  reasons. 
There  it  comes  home  to  its  own.  It  enters  into 
communion  with  the  highest  intellectual  and  spir- 
itual forces  of  the  church.  There  it  finds  its  hap- 
piest sphere  in  the  discussions  of  the  more  intri- 
cate and  least  understood  problems  of  Biblical 
study.  There  questions  of  history,  philology, 
exegesis,  psychology,  biology,  and  even  of 
casuistry  inevitably  arise,  and  happy  indeed  is 
that  pastor  who  rises  to  the  emergency.  It  un- 
folds his  powers  at  new  points,  and  what  out- 
spoken cheer  will  he  receive  from  the  honest  Bible 
students  who  are  enriched  by  his  learning,  his 
wisdom  and  his  piety. 

No,  I  have  not  said  that  a  pastor  must  be  a 
man  of  enlarged  scholarship.  I  grieve  to  think 
that  some  churches  are  too  intellectually  drowsy 
to  have  a  man  of  that  sort,  and  I  know  that  plain 
men  of  keen  discernment  and  close  walk  with 
God  often  make  efficient  pastors.  But  I  repeat 
and  repeat  that  the  pastor  who  is  below  the  best 
standards  of  his  people  can  not  do  the  best  work. 

3.  But  we  must  hold  the  pastor  at  the  door  yet 
a  little  longer.  At  any  rate  we  must  see  that  he 
is  brushed  and  shaped  to  the  point  of  being  pre- 
sentable. It  is  no  common  event  when  the  King's 
messenger  comes.  Hearts  beat  him  a  welcome, 
eyes  fairly  devour  him,  and  he  must  pass  muster 


42  THE  PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

with  the  men,  which  is  not  easy,  with  the  women, 
and  this  is  hard,  and  with  the  children  who  are 
the  real  things  of  the  occasion,  and  are,  as  we 
know,  the  keenest  critics. 

It  is  not  descending  from  the  greater  to  the  less 
to  say  that  a  pastor  must  be  persona  grata  to  his 
constituents.  Some  attractions  nature  may  deny, 
and  art  may  fail  to  supply,  and  which  even  grace 
may  not  provide,  but  he  must  in  his  very  look  and 
mien  command  respect.  I  speak  not  of  dress, 
that  is  a  matter  of  detail  and  I  must  not  touch  it, 
except  to  say  that  there  are  features  in  a  pastor's 
outfit  which  he  must  well  consider.  Let  not  a 
young  man  become  conspicuously  or  prematurely 
clerical  in  his  garb,  and  yet  he  must  be  far  away 
from  what  is  slouchy  or  eccentric.  His  coat  will 
not  offend  by  its  age  or  plainness  provided  it  is 
clean,  and  even  a  patch  will  be  ornamental  if  del- 
icately done.  The  worst  thing  that  can  get  on 
a  minister's  coat  is  a  debt,  and  that  dress  suits  the 
pastor  best  which  is  so  complete  that  it  escapes 
observation. 

One  article  of  dress  a  minister  must  never  fail 
to  wear  every  day  in  the  week,  a  good  name. 
There  must  be  no  stain  on  his  reputation,  no 
questionable  wrangles,  no  complaints  as  to  his 
business  conduct,  no  hint  as  to  his  lack  of  energy 
and  heart  in  his  work,  no  habit  which  incurs  the 
censure  of  the  best  people  in  his  charge.  It 
takes  very  little  to  dim  the  luster  of  a  pastor's 


THE  PASTOR  AT  THE  DOOR.  43 

honor  as  he  enters  the  Sunday-school;  let  him 
see  there  is  nothing. 

Akin  to  this  and  as  important  is  a  strong  and 
commanding  bearing.  Let  his  countenance  beam, 
let  smiles  radiate  his  whole  visage,  and  let  him  be 
open  to  every  sign  of  welcome  or  of  want.  But 
let  him  not  forget  that  he  is  the  King's  messen- 
ger. He  must  support  a  gracious  dignity,  carry 
an  open  hand,  and  blend  a  lofty  seriousness  with 
his  friendly  joy.  See  that  he  is  free  from  noise, 
from  flippant  jests,  frivolous  pranks  or  ridicu- 
lous devices  for  pleasing  the  people.  Oh,  he  may 
be  bright — must  be,  indeed — and  may  make  the 
room  vibrant  with  his  own  exuberant  and  exult- 
ant spirit;  but  he  must  not  forget  that  he  is  the 
man  of  God. 

I  would  urge  a  pastor  never  to  dash  Into  the 
school  simply  becaues  it  is  expected ;  that  will  do 
no  good,  but  often  will  expose  him  to  the  pity  if 
not  the  contempt  of  the  people.  So  would  I  sug- 
gest that  he  should  not  stay  out  of  the  school  on 
the  ground  that  he  has  no  message  for  the  school. 
It  may  be  that  his  best  contribution  at  some 
times  will  be  simply  himself — his  warm,  word- 
less, loving  self.  The  sight  of  a  good  pastor  is 
edifying.  At  the  same  time  a  pastor  ought  to  be 
like  a  father  traveling  in  a  far  country,  seeing  the 
sights  and  gathering  its  treasures  to  bring  home 
to  his  children.  He  ought  to  be  a  magazine  of 
power;  he  must  go  laden  with  hidden  manna, 


44  THE   PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

charged  to  the  Ups  with  grace  to  communicate. 
When  he  goes  this  way  you  need  not  fear  for  the 
result.  There  will  be  comfort  in  his  voice,  gentle 
rebuke  in  his  glance,  converting  power  in  his 
hand  -  grasp,  salvation  in  his  walk.  And  if  he 
is  ready,  pure  in  heart,  modest  and  blameless  in 
his  bearing,  full  of  culture  and  throbbing  with 
heavenly  love ;  if  he  really  is,  why  throw  open  the 
door  and  let  him  go  in. 

Yes,  I  say  let  him  in;  open  the  door.  But 
hold  !  Recall  him  a  moment  and  remind  him  that 
if  he  goes  in  it  is  only  as  the  herald  of  the  Prince 
of  Peace.  As  he  enters  let  him  shout,  crying  as 
he  goes:  Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates,  and  be 
ye  lifted  up,  ye  everlasting  doors,  and  the  King  of 
Glory  shall  come  in. 


THE  PASTOR   ON  THE   INSIDE.  45 

LECTURE  II. 

THE  PASTOR  ON  THE  INSIDE. 

In  order  to  the  pastor's  efficiency  in  the  Sun- 
day-school, it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  there 
shall  be  a  clear  apprehension  of  his  rightful  place. 
It  must  be  understood  distinctly  and  generally 
what  part  he  is  to  play  in  this  department  of 
Christian  work.  This  is  indispensably  necessary, 
both  for  the  pastor  and  for  the  people.  It  is  a  la- 
mentable admission,  exacted  by  many  unde- 
niable facts,  that  many  ministers  in  entering  the 
pastoral  relation  have  no  consciousness  of  any 
vital  relationship  which  they  sustain  to  the  school. 
They  treat  it  as  a  subordinate  affair,  claiming  no 
special  attention  at  their  hands,  and  seem  to  feel 
that  they  can  wantonly  neglect  it  without  the  least 
infraction  of  duty  on  their  part.  If  they  appear 
in  the  school  it  is.  purely  incidental,  if,  indeed, 
some  of  them  do  not  regard  it  as  only  ornamental. 

It  has  to  be  admitted  that  many  schools  justify 
this  indifference  on  the  pastor's  part.  He  is 
treated  as  practically  a  nonentity,  as  a  man  with- 
out a  local  habitation  or  a  name,  and,  at  best, 
simply  a  clean  and  well  groomed  stranger  (possi- 
bly in  some  cases  not  always  that),  who  is 
brought  forward  at  the  proper  stage  of  the  pro- 
ceedings to  entertain  the  children  with  a  vivid 


46  THE  PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

story,  though  it  often  comes  to  pass  that  the  story 
is  either  over-vivid  or  not  vivid  at  all.  There  be 
schools  uncounted  which  have  never  dreamed  of 
the  actual  worth  of  a  living  pastor,  intimately 
identified  with  the  instruction  and  life  of  the 
school.  We  may  well  understand  that  where  a 
pastor  is  unacquainted  with  his  duties  to  the 
school,  and  the  school  has  never  been  brought  to 
understand  what  invaluable  service  he  might  ren- 
der, there  must  inevitably  be  loss  and  injury  to 
the  cause  of  Christ.  It  will  be  the  earnest  pur- 
pose of  this  lecture,  in  every  paragraph,  every 
sentence  and  every  word,  to  impress  upon  this 
audience  the  solemnity  and  immeasurable  value 
of  the  pastor's  work  in  the  Sunday-school. 

Let  us  in  the  outset  fix  clearly  in  our  minds 
the  relation  which  the  Sunday-school  bears  to  the 
church.  It  is  the  creature,  and  not  the  creator, 
of  the  church,  and  must  always  be  subordinate  to 
the  church.  It  is  true,  of  course,  that  Sunday- 
schools  have  often  existed  which  were  not  organ- 
ized under  the  authority  of  the  churches.  They 
were  called  into  existence  by  the  zeal  of  a  few 
faithful  Christian  laborers,  and  in  many  cases 
these  schools  have  led  finally  to  the  establishment 
of  churches.  It  is  pleasant  to  know  that  the 
church  of  Christ  has  a  flexibility  and  adaptation 
which  can  not  interfere  with  ardent  individual  or 
united  effort  for  advancing  the  gospel,  even 
though  it  may  not  always  be  under  the  explicit 


THE  PASTOR  ON  THE   INSIDE.  47 

order  and  action  of  the  church.  But  after  all, 
the  normal  relation  of  the  Sunday-school  to  the 
church  is  that  of  a  child  to  its  mother,  or,  as  al- 
ready said,  that  of  a  creature  to  the  creator. 

It  can  hardly  be  necessary  to  remind  you  of 
what  is  the  scriptural  relation  of  the  pastor  to  the 
church.  This  relation  is  double,  being  at  once 
one  of  authority  and  one  of  service.  The  pastor 
is  the  overseer  of  the  church,  and  at  the  same  time 
its  minister.  It  will  appear  later  that  these  two 
apparently  diverse  and  even  hostile  phases  of  pas- 
toral relation  are  inherently  harmonious  and  com- 
plimentary, but  let  it  be  borne  in  mind  that  or- 
ganically the  pastor  is  the  head  of  the  church, 
and  this,  of  course,  marks  him  as  the  head  and 
leader  of  all  the  enterprises  of  the  church.  No 
matter  in  which  field  the  laborers  are  engaged,  the 
pastor  is  the  overseer.  Inasmuch,  then,  as  the 
pastor  is  the  ruler  of  the  church,  and  as  the  Sun- 
day-school is  simply  one  form  of  the  activity  of 
the  church,  he  is  therefore  the  lawful  head  of  the 
Sunday-school.  Let  this  statem.ent  be  under- 
stood and  always  remembered.  It  is  a  truth 
which  needs  to  be  clearly  enunciated,  thoroughly 
understood  and  cheerfully  recognized  in  every 
Sunday-school. 

Now,  this  statement  is  made  with  unqualified 
boldness,  and  it  must  remain  unqualified.  At 
the  same  time  it  often  comes  to  pass  that  a  crude 
understanding  of  a  statement,  absolutely  correct, 


48  THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

almost  amounts  to  an  error.  Let  not  young  min- 
isters be  misled  by  this  deliverance  on  pastoral 
authority.  In  the  practical  management  of  our 
Christian  work  it  is  not  always  possible  to  have 
the  ideal  and  the  actual  travel  together.  The 
material  which  constitutes  our  churches  is  often 
raw,  inflexible  and  sadly  warped  with  prejudice. 
If  an  ardent  and  inexperienced  young  man  should 
undertake,  in  the  face  of  the  ignorance  and  the 
miseducation  of  his  people,  to  conduct  his  church 
according  to  an  ideal,  making  no  allowance  for  the 
aggressive  infirmities  of  human  nature,  he  would 
find  himself  plunged  into  an  ocean  of  troubles. 
Every  pastor  does  well  to  cherish  the  loftiest 
ideals,  and  then  he  will  do  even  better  if  he  will 
supply  himself  with  a  good  installment  of  gump- 
tion and  patience  in  handling  the  material  with 
which  he  has  to  do  the  Lord's  work.  His  office 
does  invest  him  with  authority,  but  that  fact  will 
give  him  very  little  power  so  long  as  he  fails  to 
understand  the  source,  the  nature  and  the  meas- 
ure of  that  authority. 

The  fact  that  the  pastor  receives  his  office  by 
the  voluntary  action  of  the  church  imparts  a  pecu- 
liar delicacy  and  sensitiveness  to  the  position. 
The  selection  involves  an  endorsement  of  his 
character,  a  recognition  of  his  worth,  and  a  desire 
for  his  servicer.  It  invites  in  the  most  impressive 
manner  his  confidence  and  gratitude.  At  the 
same  time  he  ought  to  understand  that  his  elec- 


THE   PASTOR   ON   THE   INSIDE.  49 

tion  came  about  because  of  certain  services  which 
he  is  expected  to  render  and  to  render  in  a  way 
that  will  be  acceptable.  There  may  be  peculiar 
views  of  pastoral  duties  in  that  church — views 
which  he  has  not  met  elsewhere  and  which  he  pos- 
sibly does  not  approve.  If  this  be  true,  then  he 
ought  not  to  enter  the  position  without  a  thor- 
oughly harmonious  agreement  that  there  is  to  be 
some  change  in  these  views,  or  else  he  is  sacredly 
and  to  the  highest  point  of  honor  and  faithful- 
ness committed  to  be  regulated  by  these  views. 

It  is  a  curb  on  the  restless  independence  of 
young  men  to  know  that  the  church  which  calls 
them  also  reserves  the  power  to  sit  in  judgment 
upon  them  after  they  come,  and  to  discharge 
them  if  they  do  not  meet  the  demands  of  the  situ- 
ation. It  is  at  best  a  lesson  in  humility  to  be 
the  pastor  of  a  Baptist  church. 

Many  young  ministers  have  inquired  how  it 
was  that  I  retained  my  pastorate  in  the  city  of 
Richmond  for  twenty-six  years,  and  I  dare  say 
when  they  looked  at  me  or  heard  me  their  question 
had  a  great  deal  more  meaning  in  it  than  ap- 
peared on  its  surface,  and  it  is  no  wonder  that 
they  should  have  asked.  Whatever  motive  may 
have  prompted  the  question,  the  answer  has  al- 
ways been  that  my  people  allowed  me  to  stay, 
partly  because  they  were  a  little  afraid  of  me  and 
partly  because  I  was  exceedingly  afraid  of  them. 

It  amounts  to  no  mean  part  of  an  education 


50  THE   PASTOR   AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

for  US  to  be  able  to  study  things  in  their  relations 
to  each  other.  It  is  in  the  understanding  of  these 
relations  and  the  proper  observance  of  the  obliga- 
tions which  they  impose  that  is  hidden  the  secret 
of  all  success  and  happiness. 

It  is  well  for  us  to  understand  that  the  most  of 
life  is  wrapped  up  not  in  our  individuality  but  in 
our  relationship.  Our  chief  joys,  as  well  as  our 
impartations  of  power,  are  transmitted  to  us 
along  the  ties  which  bind  us  to  others.  There  is 
always  complexity,  liability  to  friction  and  pos- 
sible discord  in  every  relation  of  life.  To  ascer- 
tain the  exact  meaning  of  these  relations  and  to 
know  how  to  observe  the  •  requirements  which 
they  involve  are  among  the  highest  actions  of 
which  we  are  capable.  I  find  that  some  young 
ministers  think  it  one  of  the  simplest  and  most 
unembarrassing  things  in  the  world  to  love  to  dis- 
traction a  lovely  maiden,  and  to  them  there  is  no 
complexity,  only  sunlight  and  bliss  and  heaven 
in  it  all.  But  let  one  of  these  sons  of  infatuation 
turn  after  the  exchange  of  sentiment  and  confec- 
tions has  turned  into  an  actual  case  of  matrimony, 
with  all  the  legal  economics,  physiological,  bio- 
logical, domestic,  co-operative,  indispensable,  in- 
comprehensible and  ever-recurring  consequences 
which  always  follow  an  event  like  that,  and  the 
probability  is  that  twenty  years  hence  the  brother 
will  look  back  not  with  regret  but  with  a  humili- 
ating conviction  that  he  knew  very  little  of  what 


THE  PASTOR  ON  THE   INSIDE.  5I 

he  was  doing  when  he  became  drawn  into  the 
charming  entanglements  of  the  past.  And  so  it 
is  with  the  young  minister.  He  sighs  for  a  pas- 
torate, and  feels  that  all  the  complexities  of  life 
would  instantly  disappear  if  he  could  go  to  the 
post  office  and  find  a  call.  God  be  with  him 
when  the  happy  call  comes  in !  But  how  little  he 
can  ever  dream  of  what  is  to  be  drawn  out  of  that 
relationship  into  which  he  enters  when  he  becomes 
a  pastor.  He  may  think  he  is  ready,  he  will  find 
afterwards  that  he  is  never  ready.  If  partly 
ready  to-day  he  will  not  be  ready  for  to-morrow, 
and  if  he  fancies  he  is  ready  for  to-morrow,  to- 
morrow will  burst  upon  him  with  new  issues, 
new  strains,  new  complexities,  new  sorrows  and 
new  joys. 

How  will  it  be  possible  to  impress  that  young 
man  with  the  holy  fear  which  he  ought  to  have  in 
entering  that  office.  Who  is  to  teach  him  the 
mystery  of  that  contradictory  life  he  is  to  lead, 
teach  him  that  he  is  to  be  a  master  and  a  slave,  a 
ruler  and  a  servant?     How  can  he  do  it? 

While  the  pastor  is  an  overseer  he  is  also  dis- 
tinctly defined  in  the  Word  of  God  as  a  servant, 
and  if  he  be  truly  a  man  of  God  he  must  know 
himself  in  both  of  these  relations ;  he  must  under- 
stand when  he  is  to  rule  and  when  he  is  to  serve ; 
he  must  be  a  prince  in  service  and  a  brother  in  the 
exercise  of  authority. 

I  mark  it  as  an  excellent  rule  that  the  pastor 


52  THE   PASTOR   AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

shall  chiefly  magnify  his  position  as  a  servant, 
and  that  his  church  shall,  with  equal  cordiality, 
magnify  his  authority  as  a  bishop.  So  long  as 
this  is  faithfully  done  you  may  be  sure  that  peace 
and  happiness  will  abound  in  the  church.  But  if 
there  be  those  who  desire  a  method  for  bringing 
friction  and  strife,  all  they  have  to  do  is  to  reverse 
this  order.  Let  the  pastor  shrink  from  the 
thought  of  service  and  stickle  continually  for  his 
authority,  and  let  the  people  deny  him  his  power 
as  a  ruler  and  exact  from  him  relentlessly  the 
drudgeries  of  a  servant,  and  there  can  be  no  prog- 
ress or  prosperity  in  that  church.  This  infringe- 
ment of  the  divine  idea  of  a  pastor's  relation  will 
inevitably  precipitate  confusion  and  hostility,  and 
when  this  begins  the  pastor  would  do  well  to  se- 
lect at  once  the  text  for  his  farewell  sermon.  Hu- 
man nature  is  a  precarious  and  sensitive  quanti- 
ty which  grace  does  not  wholly  heal  at  once,  and 
if  the  pastor  is  to  succeed  it  must  be  by  veiling 
rather  than  brandishing  his  authority,  and  by  be- 
ing always  ready  to  do  his  full  part  as  a  servant. 

Now,  in  full  harmony  with  what  has  been  said, 
I  desire  to  declare  in  the  strongest  possible  terms 
my  conviction  that  a  pastor  must  be  the  sovereign 
of  his  people.  He  is  to  be  the  governing  and  reg- 
ulative factor  in  every  department  of  his  church. 
He  must  carry  in  his  soul  a  strong  sense  of  lead- 
ership, and  must  know  the  time  and  the  manner 
in  which  his  mastery  is  to  be  asserted.     Of  course 


THE   PASTOR   ON  THE   INSIDE.  53 

there  are  offensive  ways  in  which  pastors  may 
assert  their  power,  and  when  it  is  done  their  au- 
thority dies  in  the  very  act  of  its  unwarranted  as- 
sertion. But  I  have  a  great  conviction  that  there 
is  a  large  sphere  in  the  pastorate  for  the  exercise 
of  a  genuine  sovereignty,  and  concerning  this  I 
have  some  important  things  to  say.  It  ought  to 
be  one  of  the  profoundest  studies  of  every  pastor 
to  ascertain  what  is  the  nature  of  that  power 
which  the  Word  of  God  associates  with  the  pas- 
toral office,  when  it  tells  us  that  the  pastor  is  an 
overseer,  and  it  is  in  this  investigation  that  this 
lecture  is  designed  to  afford  him  some  help. 

I  hope  I  may  be  pardoned  for  the  apparent 
overcandor  of  declaring  that  in  my  judgment 
there  is  a  woeful  measure  of  mutual  misappre- 
hension as  to  the  relationships  of  the  pastor  and 
the  church.  Truly,  the  subject  needs  a  far  deeper 
study  than  it  has  usually  received.  Indeed  this 
relationship  is  absolutely  unique;  it  is  a  sui 
generis  in'  the  family  of  relationship  and  can 
hardly  be  compared  to  any  other  without  being 
misunderstood. 

As  I  stand  before  you  I  find  myself  cut  in 
twain  by  the  conviction  on  the  one  side  of  the 
immeasurable  importance  of  the  proposition  I  am 
about  to  submit,  and  by  the  dread  on  the  other 
hand  that  it  will  be  misapprehended  and  hurt- 
fully  used  by  others.  Every  office  has  a  distinct 
rank   which    renders   it   subservient   to   what    is 


54  THE    PASTOR   AND   THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

above  and  distinctively  authoritative  to  what  is 
below.  It  provides  for  no  special  courtesy  to- 
ward inferiors,  voices  no  personal  appeals  and 
the  officer  claims  as  much  authority  the  morning 
he  enters  his  office  as  he  ever  does  afterwards. 
Some  of  our  ministers  have  exactly  this  view  of 
the  authority  of  the  pastor  and  it  is  simply  ruin- 
ous to  success. 

To  begin  with,  the  authority  of  the  pastor  is 
largely  an  attainment,  an  achievement,  indeed, 
won  after  they  become  pastors,  not  by  a  vote,  but 
by  the  wisdom  and  faithfulness  which  they  dis- 
play in  the  exercise  of  their  pastoral  office.  Even 
when  they  come  to  a  new  pastorate  equipped  by 
the  experience  gained  elsewhere  they  will  find 
that  a  mere  assumption  of  the  office  does  not  in- 
vest them  with  the  best  pastoral  authority.  It 
does  something  more  than  merely  put  them  on 
trial,  but  they  had  as  well  understand  that  they 
are  on  trial,  and  it  is  an  experiment  as  to 
whether  their  temper,  bearing  and  methods  of 
administration  will  command  that  ripened  confi- 
dence on  the  part  of  their  people,  which  after  all 
is  the  final  basis  for  pastoral  authority. 

On  the  other  hand  the  church  holds  sway  over 
the  pastor.  It  holds  his  fate  in  its  hands,  and 
with  the  beginning  of  every  pastorate  there  is 
another  experiment,  to  test  the  church  in  the 
management  of  its  servant.  It  has  to  be  deter- 
mined by  actual  experience  whether  the  church 


THE  PASTOR  ON  THE   INSIDE.  55 

is  a  good  master,  whether  it  takes  care  of  its  serv- 
ant, whether  it  has  compassion  for  him,  whether 
it  will  commend  him  when  he  does  well,  whether 
it  will  clothe  him  with  the  honors  that  belong  to 
the  faithful.  There  are  refinements  and  courte- 
sies which  the  church  must  have  or  it  will  never 
make  its  pastor  happy.  And  when  these  are  duly 
exercised  the  church  will  rarely  sound  the  note 
of  authority.  It  will  hide  its  power  in  its  cheer- 
ful and  affectionate  submission  to  the  pastor's 
leadership. 

It  seems  absolutely  necessary  that  these  things 
should  be  said  as  a  preface  to  the  plea  which  here- 
with follows  for  the  sovereignty  of  the  pastor. 

For  one  thing,  a  pastor  ought  to  reign  by  right 
of  his  proficiency.  He  ought  to  be  the  life  center 
of  the  school.  Not  that  it  is  insisted  that  a  pas- 
tor must  be  more  richly  endowed  intellectually 
or  be  more  scholarly  than  any  member  of  his 
church.  This  is  fortunate,  when  it  is  true ;  but 
unfortunately  it  is  not  always  true,  and  not  nec- 
essary that  it  should  be  true.  It  often  comes  to 
pass  that  ministers  become  acceptable  pastors  of 
their  intellectual  superiors,  but  there  is  a  sense  in 
which  the  pastor  must  be  superior  to  any  one  or 
to  all  together  in  his  school.  He  must  know 
more  about  the  work  than  any  one  else  in  the 
church  knows,  and  in  that  ripened  knowledge, 
ever  at  the  command  of  his  people,  will  dwell  one 
secret  of  his  sovereignty.     The  man  who  knows 


$6  THE   PASTOR   AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

more  than  we  do  about  the  matter  in  hand  is  al- 
ways our  master,  and  the  authority  of  superior 
knowledge  and  discriminating  judgment  is  far 
greater  than  mere  official  authority. 

The  public  press  announced  some  time  ago 
that  Emperor  William  of  Germany  was  requested 
to  visit  the  Department  of  Naval  Architecture. 
The  architects  and  constructors  had  some  newly- 
finished  battleships  which  they  desired  to  expose 
for  his  admiration,  and  also  some  schemes  for 
new  battleships  which  they  thought  the  Emperor 
would  be  glad  to  examine.  The  Emperor  quiet- 
ly and  with  manifest  interest  allowed  himself  to 
be  taken  through  the  department  and  to  have  the 
experts  give  their  explanations  as  to  the  ships 
already  built  or  to  be  built.  When  the  exhibition 
ended  the  Emperor,  to  the  surprise  of  all,  ascend- 
ed to  an  elevated  platform  and  delivered  a  lec- 
ture on  Naval  Architecture,  dealing  with  the 
latest  ideas  and  inventions  in  the  naval  world; 
gave  his  views  as  to  the  placing  of  the  guns,  and 
other  details  of  a  battleship  in  a  manner  so  intel- 
ligent, exact  and  exhaustive  that  his  audience 
was  filled  with  surprise  and  admiration.  They 
found  him  a  teacher  where  they  had  expected  to 
treat  him  as  a  scholar.  The  crown  of  Germany 
imparts  tremendous  authority  to  the  Emperor, 
and  yet  that  revelation  made  in  the  Naval  Depart- 
ment that  day  of  his  ripened  naval  culture  in- 
spired among  the  experts  of  the  department  far 


THE   PASTOR   ON  THE   INSIDE.  57 

more  reverence  than  the  splendors  of  his  crown. 
He  was  a  double  sovereign  —  by  right  of  his 
crown,  and  by  the  yet  higher  right  of  his  intel- 
lectual and  scholarly  superiority. 

I  said  just  now  in  substance  that  there  was  no 
conflict  between  authority  and  service ;  let  me  go 
further  and  say  that  the  road  to  sovereignty  is 
the  way  of  service.  That  cook  who  understands 
better  how  to  brown  the  roast  or  bake  the  cake  or 
season  the  jelly  or  set  the  table,  than  the  lady  of 
the  house,  will  be  the  empress  of  the  kitchen  and 
the  ruler  in  the  dining  room.  There  was  a  hint 
a  little  while  before  the  martyrdom  of  our  good 
President  at  Buffalo  that  while  he  always  con- 
ferred with  his  Cabinet  and  sought  the  counsel 
of  other  wise  men,  he  was  not  quite  willing  to 
venture  a  final  decision  until  he  had  talked  with 
his  Private  Secretary.  That  young  man,  so  alert, 
so  vigilant,  so  thoroughly  posted,  ever  ready  to 
do  the  bidding  of  his  chief,  by  his  very  faithful- 
ness had  become  the  ruler  of  the  President.  It 
was  faithful  service  which  gave  him  the  mastery, 
and  if  a  report  can  be  trusted,  his  efficiency  has 
already  enthroned  him  in  the  confidence  of  the 
young  ruler  of  our  nation,  and  he  is  still  master 
as  he  serves. 

The  pastor  who  talks  about  the  authority  of 
his  office  will  find  that  his  authority  is  largely  a 
figment,  a  dreamy,  unsubstantial  thing  which  will 
fail  him  at  the  crisis. 


58  THE   PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

The  misfortune  of  some  pastors  is  that  they 
imagine  that  their  authority  inheres  in  their  office. 
They  seem  to  believe  that  when  the  Holy  Spirit 
characterized  the  shepherd  of  the  flock  as  an  over- 
seer that  he  identified  with  that  position  a  power 
•which  thev  have  a  perfect  right  to  claim  simply 
on  the  ground  that  they  hold  the  office.  This  is 
a  grievous  and  in  many  cases  an  incurable  mis- 
take. We  need  never  expect  to  impress  upon  in- 
telligent Christian  people  the  idea  that  they  are 
to  'submit  absolutely  to  the  authority  of  a  man 
simply  because  he  is  in  the  pastoral  office  of  their 
church.  They  can  not  distinguish  so  sharply  be- 
tween the  man  and  the  office.  You  can  not  make 
them  believe  it  is  their  duty  to  follow  the  wrong 
man  simply  because  he  is  in  the  office.  They  will 
look  at  the  man.  If  he  be  notably  unsuited  for 
the  position  his  office  can  not  condone  his  unfit- 
ness nor  sanctify  his  character;  if  he  be  seriously 
astray  in  fundamental  Christian  doctrine  they  will 
not  and  ought  not  to  follow  him ;  if  he  is  lacking 
in  sobriety,  courtesy  and  dignity,  he  need  not 
hope  to  command  their  loyalty;  if  he  be  stupid 
or  obstinate  or  unreasonable,  he  can  not  exercise 
effectually  his  pastoral  functions. 

It  is  only  where  there  is  a  congruity  between 
the  man  and  the  office — where  the  man  fits  the 
office  and  knows  where  his  authority  comes  in— 
will  the  church  recognize  his  leadership. 

Of  course,  in  looking  at  the  subject  from  the 


THE  PASTOR   ON  THE   INSIDE.  59 

Other  standpoint,  we  would  dwell  upon  the  im- 
perfections of  all  ministers  and  the  consequent 
necessity  for  forbearance  and  conciliation  on  the 
part  of  the  church.  This  in  the  nature  of  the 
case  is  necessary  if  any  pastor  and  church  are 
ever  to  get  along  harmoniously  together.  But 
the  present  contention  is  in  favor  of  the  pastoral 
sovereignty,  and  it  is  impossible  to  be  too  em- 
phatic and  exacting  in  dealing  with  the  pastor 
to  demand  that  he  shall  show  himself  worthy  of 
the  pastoral  office  before  he  can  begin  to  exercise 
the  authority  of  a  pastor. 

But  if  he  gives  his  life  for  the  sheep,  if  he  is 
crucified  on  the  uplifted  cross,  he  will  draw  all 
men  unto  him. 

The  pastor  must  also  be  a  sovereign  in  doc- 
trine. I  must  not  claim  infallibility  for  a  Baptist 
pastor,  though  if  he  be  a  true  man  I  should  have 
to  honor  him  as  far  more  infallible  than  the  Pope 
of  Rome.  The  Pope  declares  things  are  true  be- 
cause he  says  they  are  true,  but  the  true  minister 
of  Christ  says  the  things  because  they  are  true. 
It  is  a  fitting  thing  that  a  teacher  should  be  called 
a  master,  not  simply  because  he  has  to  rule  his 
students,  but  by  reason  of  his  superior  knowledge 
he  dominates  them.  The  pastor  is  the  true  mas- 
ter of  the  Sunday-school.  He  ought  to  be  in  a 
large  measure  the  court  of  final  appeal  in  doctri- 
nal controversies  and  authority  on  disputed 
points.       His  people  must  know  in  their  hearts 


6o  THE   PASTOR  AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

that  he  knows  more  than  they  know,  and  when  he 
says  that  he  does  not  knov\^,  it  ought  as  a  rule  to 
be  understood  that  either  it  is  because  the  ques- 
tion is  outside  of  his  province,  or  it  is  something 
which  can  not  be  known.  He  must  be  mighty  in 
the  Scriptures,  apt  to  teach,  and  always  acces- 
sible to  his  people.  Not  that  he  poses  as  an  iner- 
rant  teacher,  nor  that  he  seeks  to  repress  inquiry 
in  others,  but  simply  that  his  people  are  impressed 
with  his  wisdom  as  a  teacher.  This  will  make 
him  their  sovereign  in  doctrine. 

The  pastor,  above  all  things,  must  reign  with- 
out a  rival  in  the  hearts  of  his  people ;  they  must 
believe  in  him  through  and  through.  Not  that 
they  are  to  be  his  noisy  flatterers,  or  that  they  are 
to  weary  others  with  his  unmeasured  praises. 
But  he  is  to  be  enthroned  in  their  affections  and 
live  in  their  love.  Above  all,  he  ought  to  com- 
mand the  boundless  confidence  and  unfeigned 
love  of  the  children.  With  this  grasp  upon  his 
flock  a  pastor  can  do  anything.  It  will  not  be 
possible  for  him  to  meddle  in  the  little  squabbles 
of  the  school,  nor  to  be  fretted  by  the  little  fric- 
tions that  now  and  then  must  inevitably  come. 
He  will  not  be  electioneering  in  a  clandestine  way 
for  a  candidate  for  the  superintendency  nor  be 
scheming  to  get  teachers  in  or  out.  His  feet  will 
press  the  mountain  tops,  and  it  will  be  only  in  the 
exercise  of  that  sovereignty  which  wisdom,  skill, 
service  and  affection  always  give  that  he  will 


THE   PASTOR  ON  THE  INSIDE,  6l 

launch  the  machinery  of  the  school.  A  man  like 
that  can  choose  the  officers  and  teachers,  and  do 
anything  demanded  by  the  good  of  the  school, 
and  none  will  dare  or  wish  to  contest  his  right. 
If  he  reign  in  the  hearts  of  his  people  he  can  easi- 
ly direct  their  lives. 

But  remember  that  after  all,  the  pastor's  part 
is  informal  and  undefined.  You  can  not  write 
rules  to  regulate  a  pastor's  activity  in  the  school ; 
his  duties  are  born  of  every  passing  incident  and 
are  perpetually  new.  He  is  not  to  be  the  superin- 
tendent, though  he  may  be  if  necessary,  and  some- 
times may  well  act  as  superintendent  on  given 
occasions,  to  add  new  dignity  and  zest  to  the 
school.  His  place  is  not  that  of  a  teacher,  though 
he  ought  to  be  capable  of  the  best  possible  teach- 
ing, ought  sometimes  to  act  as  a  substitute,  and 
wherever  practicable  ought  to  be  the  teacher  of 
the  teachers.  He  does  not  belong  to  the  school 
as  a  scholar,  but  he  ought  sometimes  to  sit  down 
with  the  class  and  ask  and  answer  questions  just 
as  the  scholars  do.  While  he  really  belongs  to 
none  of  these  places  it  is  of  great  worth  for  him 
and  the  school  to  show  that  he  could  fill  any  of 
them.  In  this  wealth  of  his  equipment,  his  versa- 
tility and  matured  judgment,  still  resides  much  of 
his  authority. 

After  all  it  is  the  pastor's  personality,  enriched 
with  wisdom,  refined  by  experience  and  charged 
with  holy  sympathy,  quick  to  detect  new  situa- 


62  THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

tions  and  alert  in  action,  which  renders  him  un- 
speakably valuable  to  the  school.  Far  better,  as 
a  rule,  for  him  to  have  no  specified  duties,  but  let 
him  be  there  in  perfect  plumb  with  the  occasion, 
and  ready  to  enter  each  door  of  opportunity  as 
it  opens  before  him. 

I  would  not  have  you  think  of  the  pastor  as 
the  awkward  and  clumsy  hand-shaker.  It  is  try- 
ing to  note  the  ponderous  and  embarrassing  man- 
ner in  which  untrained  pastors  seek  to  make 
themselves  agreeable.  Not  that  we  ought  to  dis- 
parage the  efforts  of  a  pastor  to  come  in  contact 
with  his  own,  but  a  pastor's  heart  must  be  full  of 
his  work,  and  that  will  tell  him  what  to  do. 

Nor  ought  we  to  think  of  the  pastor  as  the  un- 
failing speechmaker,  gravely  introduced  by  the 
superintendent  and  coming  forth  with  his  meas- 
ured tones  and  his  stiffly  told  anecdotes.  It  is 
dangerous  for  a  pastor  to  set  himself  to  doing 
things  merely  for  the  sake  of  taking  part,  for 
thereby  he  becomes  a  spectacle  and  often  a  terror. 
Woe  to  the  preacher  who  thinks  that  he  is  fulfill- 
ing his  destiny  when  dealing  out  an  exciting 
story  or  when  trying  to  provoke  the  children  to 
senseless  merriment !  Oh,  he  may  tell  a  story, 
by  all  means  let  him  do  it,  when  the  story  has 
sense  and  fitness  and  humor;  let  him  bring  the 
laugh  if  it  is  serious  and  reverential.  But  it  is 
supremely  important  that  a  pastor  should  under- 
stand that  if  he  is  to  speak  to  the  children  he 


THE   PASTOR  ON  THE  INSIDE,  63 

must  give  them  something  ripe  and  rich.  They 
are  the  best  auditors,  and  what  they  hear  they 
never  forget.  Give  them  that  which  it  is  well 
for  them  to  remember,  or  give  them  nothing. 

But  let  him  be  at  home  in  the  school.  One 
morning  the  superintendent  will  claim  him  and 
get  strength  by  counsel  and  fellowship  with  him ; 
the  next  morning  some  overtaxed  teacher,  ready 
to  collapse  with  despair,  will  ask  to  bathe  in  his 
love,  to  breathe  in  his  hopefulness  and  to  lean  on 
his  faith;  the  next,  there  will  be  strangers  com- 
ing in  who  will  be  gladdened  by  his  greeting,  and 
will  tell  far  and  wide  how  kind  and  cordial  he 
was  and  of  the  bright  and  helpful  things  he  said ; 
the  next,  it  will  be  a  fine  boy  or  cheery  girl  who 
has  during  the  week  trusted  the  Saviour  and  de- 
sires to  tell  the  grateful  secret  into  the  pastor's 
ear ;  the  next  it  will  be  a  dead  teacher  or  a  dead 
scholar  whose  sorrowful  loss  will  suggest  ten- 
der words  of  remembrance  and  sympathy;  the 
next — well,  each  day  will  have  its  commissions 
for  the  pastor,  whose  ear  is  ever  open  to  the  call 
of  duty. 

You  must  bear  in  mind  that  the  theme  is  "The 
Pastor  on  the  Inside."  That,  by  all  means,  is  the 
place  for  the  pastor — on  the  inside,  and  in  the 
very  heart  of  its  activities.  Instead  of  declaring 
that  it  is  his  imperative  duty  to  be  there,  I  feel 
constrained  to  say  that  it  will  be  his  pleasure  and 
his  habit  to  be  there.     His  absence  is  out  of  all 


64  THE   PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

propriety,  a  blow  at  the  school,  a  reflection  upon 
Biblical  study,  and  a  bad  example  for  everybody. 
It  is  a  waste  of  an  opportunity,  the  cruel  sacrifice 
of  a  privilege,  and  a  signal  proof  that  he  does 
not  know  his  own  business. 

This  lecture  deals  with  a  class  of  men  of  whom 
it  would  be  impossible  to  think  as  capable  of  be- 
ing seriously  delinquent — men  who  find  it  impos- 
sible to  turn  their  backs  upon  the  Bible  school  of 
the  church.  Assuming,  then,  that  the  pastor  rec- 
ognizes his  place  as  on  the  inside  of  the  school, 
a  few  suggestions  are  submitted  for  his  consid- 
eration. 

I.  First  of  all,  it  is  suggested  that  the  pastor 
ought  to  be  in  the  school  at  the  beginning.  This 
is  said  in  no  arbitrary  or  exacting  spirit,  but  from 
a  conviction  as  to  the  inherent  propriety  of  things. 
The  presence  of  the  pastor  at  the  opening  of  the 
school  has  a  strong  significance.  It  is  an  unut- 
tered  declaration  of  his  sympathy  with  the  object 
for  which  his  people  have  assembled.  It  places 
the  stamp  of  his  official  iufluence  upon  the  school. 
It  answers  all  questions  as  to  bis  sentiment  and 
attitude  as  a  pastor,  and  presents  his  entire  per- 
sonality as  a  support  and  an  inspiration  for  the 
school.  It  is  an  incarnate  argument  in  favor  of 
punctuality.  The  tap  of  the  bell  ought  never  to 
fail  to  penetrate  his  ear. 

Indeed,  it  is  a  clever  and  handsome  thing-  on 
his  part  to  appear  on  the  scene  in  advance  of  the 


THE  PASTOR  ON  THE  INSIDE.  65 

Opening.  It  gives  him  time  to  welcome  the  early 
comers  and  to  bestow  upon  them  a  happy  Lord's 
Day  greeting.  The  prospect  of  a  choice  bit  of 
conversation  with  the  pastor  will  be  sufficient  to 
attract  some  to  the  school  ahead  of  time,  and 
truly  there  can  not  be  a  more  cheery  and  exalting 
exercise  for  a  great  hearted  pastor  than  to  be  in 
place  to  welcome  the  little  ones,  those  sweet  har- 
bingers of  heavenly  light,  who  flit  into  the  school 
as  soon  as  they  can  get  their  breakfast,  and,  in- 
deed, some  of  them  who,  in  their  eagerness,  bound 
away  to  their  school  before  the  morning  meal  is 
spread.  Many  of  us  know  how  it  thrusts  the 
heart  of  a  child  into  its  little  throat  to  see  the 
pastor  waiting  for  him,  to  receive  at  his  hands 
a  thrilling  handshake,  and  to  catch  from  his  lips 
words  which  put  the  whole  being  to  burning — 
words  which  may  speedily  fade  from  the  pastor's 
memory,  but  which  he  will  be  slow  to  forget — 
words  which  some  of  them,  amid  the  strifes  of 
later  years,  will  recall  with  flowing  tears ;  words 
which  likely  enough  will  cheer  some  of  them  in 
their  dying  hour,  and  who  can  tell  but  that  these 
words  will  be  uttered  again  on  the  day  of  final 
accounts?  All  of  us  must  feel  instinctively  that 
the  Sunday  morning  is  a  delightful  time  for  the 
pastor  to  meet  his  people  and  to  welcome  them 
as  they  come  into  God's  house  for  the  purpose  of 
studying  God's  Word. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  claim  that  the  pastor's 


66  THE    PASTOR   AND   THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

presence  at  the  opening  of  the  school  carries  a 
meaning  richer  and  more  instructive  than  it  can 
possibly  mean  if  he  casually  drops  in  at  a  later 
time.  This  only  presents  him  as  a  caller,  and  in- 
dicates no  bond  between  him  and  the  school ;  but 
his  coming  in  at  the  beginning  links  him  vvith  the 
entire  occasion.  It  matters  little  whether  he  shall 
take  any  part  in  the  opening  exercises  or  not, 
though  sometimes  he  ought,  and  in  his  ardor  he 
often  will.  But  even  though  he  remain  absolute- 
ly silent,  the  fact  that  he  is  there,  and  there  at 
the  beginning,  will  be  a  contribution  of  vitality 
and  sanction  to  the  school,  the  value  of  which  we 
can  never  adequately  appreciate. 

Any  right  minded  superintendent  will  hail  the 
pastor's  presence  with  untold  enthusiasm,  and 
will  feel  inherently  strengthened  by  his  presence. 
It  will  be  to  that  arduous  and  oft  discouraged 
officer  a  genuine  refreshment  to  have  the  pastor 
at  his  side ;  it  will  rob  him  of  every  sense  of  iso- 
lation and  neglect,  and  will  make  every  part  of 
the  machinery  run  with  increased  grace  and 
speed.  The  faithful  attendance  of  the  pastor  will 
be  an  unfailing  argument  on  the  tongue  of  the 
superintendent  as  he  goes  forth  during  the  v/eek 
to  implore  the  undivided  co-operation  of  the 
church.  The  pastor  will  be  an  unanswerable  ar- 
gument in  favor  of  others  coming. 

The  sight  of  the  pastor  will  not  be  lost  upon 
the  teachers;   their  hearts   will  brighten  at  his 


THE  PASTOR  ON  THE  INSIDE.  6/ 

coming.  To  some  of  them,  trembling  with  a 
sense  of  overbearing  responsibility,  almost  ready 
to  sink  in  despair,  and  longing  for  sympathy, 
the  pastor's  voice  will  charm  away  their  depres- 
sion and  the  magnetism  of  his  soul  will  transfuse 
them  with  hope  and  strength  for  their  task. 
Though  they  may  not  touch  his  hand  or  ask  him  a 
question,  the  simple  assurance  that  he  Is  in  easy 
reach  and  full  of  the  Lord's  Spirit  will  be  like 
a  heavenly  anointment  for  these  anxious  teachers. 

Let  not  the  pastor  go  like  a  scourged  vassal  to 
the  Sunday-school,  going  chiefly  to  silence  criti 
cism  or  merely  because  his  absence  may  be  used 
against  him.  If  he  be  in  such  a  mood  as  that, 
there  will  be  one  thing  worse  than  his  absence, 
and  that  will  be  his  presence.  It  ought  to  be  his 
very  nature  to  be  there.  He  ought  to  be  borne 
to  the  place  by  a  swell  of  holy  solicitude  con- 
cerning those  who  are  to  study  and  teach  the 
Word  of  God.  He  ought  to  go  because  he  has 
not  strength  to  stay  away,  because  his  soul  is  al- 
ready there,  and  because  his  children  will  need 
him  in  studying  the  messages  of  love  and  salva- 
tion which  have  been  brought  to  them  from  their 
Father. 

I  count  it  not  a  small  thing  that  the  pastor's 
appearance  in  the  Sunday-school  shall  be  just  ex- 
actly right.  It  must  not  be  a  race  with  him  to 
get  there ;  he  must  not  come  in  a  sweat  or  a  fret. 
Let  his  face  be  as  fresh  as  the  light  of  a  spring 


68  THE   PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

morning,  glinted  with  spiritual  joy,  and  so  mel- 
lowed and  beautified  by  love  that  all  eyes  shall 
kindle  as  they  look  upon  him.  I  knew  a  pastor 
once  who  had  the  homely  custom  of  filling  his 
pockets  with  nuts  and  confections,  and  of  scatter- 
ing them  among  the  little  ones  as  they  came  in 
and  went  out.  That  was  a  kindness  well  meant, 
and  who  knows  but  that  the  smile  of  God  was 
upon  this  simple  deed  of  the  pastor  ?  But  I  fancy 
that  that  was  a  custom  which  we  by  no  means 
need  to  imitate.  The  pastor  can  do  better  than 
that,  and  yet  in  that  crude  type  of  zeal,  that  prim- 
itive and  yet  constructive  effort  to  build  up  the 
school,  there  was  something  which  every  pastor 
ought  not  to  fail  to  imitate.  Only  he  can  bring 
better  things  —  reverence,  trust,  peace,  wisdom, 
joy  and  worship,  and  dispense  these  to  all  who 
come  that  day  within  the  circle  of  his  power. 

It  is  not,  of  course,  rigidly  maintained  that  a 
pastor  is  to  be  in  the  school  during  every  minute 
of  its  progress.  He  may  be  free  to  stay  or  go, 
and  will  do  that  which  in  his  judgment  will  min- 
ister most  largely  to  the  general  good.  But  there 
never  can  come  a  time  during  the  session  of  a 
Sunday-school  when  it  is  not  desirable  for  the 
pastor  to  be  there.  Let  him  be  there  beside  the 
superintendent,  steadfastly  sustaining  him,  kindly 
directing  him  at  the  various  turns  in  the  affairs 
of  the  day,  and  ever  ready  to  speak  the  word  or 


THE   PASTOR   ON   THE   INSIDE.  69 

do  the  deed  which  the  passing  moment  may  sug- 
gest. 

I  have  sometimes  thought  that  a  pastor  ought 
always  to  be  on  the  platform  during  the  closing 
exercises.  It  gives  completeness  to  the  occa- 
sion for  him,  as  the  head  of  the  church,  to  be 
there  to  hear  the  report,  join  the  song,  lead  the 
prayer  and  speak  the  word  of  salvation.  It  hurts 
nothing  at  all  if  a  few  minutes  before  the  bene- 
diction he  quietly  slips  from  the  platform  and  re- 
tires to  his  office,  or  it  may  be  to  the  neighboring 
grove,  it  will  not  be  misunderstood.  That  the 
people  will  note  with  unfeigned  reverence — will 
think  of  him  in  his  anxious  concern  about  his 
sermon,  and  silent  prayers  will  attend  him  as  he 
goes  to  mature  his  preparation  for  the  pulpit. 

2.  Somewhat  ought  to  be  said  concerning  the 
pastor's  public  utterances  before  the  school.  By 
all  means,  he  ought  to  be  sensitively  alive  to  the 
fact  that  in  the  Sunday-school  he  has  his  most 
impressible  and  promising  audience,  and  that 
what  he  speaks  is  of  transcendent  importance. 
Let  him  speak  with  the  well-grounded  assurance 
that  somebody  will  remember  his  words,  if  they 
are  wisely  and  fitly  chosen.  Without  going  into 
detail,  we  may  perhaps  agree  that  there  ought  to 
be  no  fixed  arrangements  as  to  when  the  pastor  is 
to  speak,  or  as  to  what  his  topics  are  to  be.  He  is 
the  lord  of  the  program,  and  it  is  with  him,  and 
not   with   the    superintendent,    to    decide    as   to 


70  THE    PASTOR   AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

what  and  when  his  public  utterances  are  to  be. 
Naturally  there  will  be  a  time  in  the  order  of  ex- 
ercises for  him,  and  usually  that  will  prove  to  be 
the  proper  time,  but  if  he  is  the  right  man  he  will 
be  master  of  all  times  and  able  readily  to  recog- 
nize the  best  time.  There  will  be  times  when  he 
ought  to  speak  concerning  some  phase  of  the 
morning  lesson,  but  this  ought  never  to  be  under- 
stood as  a  regular  order.  In  fact,  it  will  natural- 
ly occur  to  you  that  a  pastor  ought  never  to  touch 
the  lesson  unless  it  contains  some  view  of  truth 
which  has  caused  division  of  sentiment  in  the 
school,  or  which  possesses  extraordinary  interest. 
Unless  he  has  some  view  of  the  lesson  to  present 
which  was  not  brought  out  in  the  class  discus- 
sions let  him  by  all  means  omit  all  reference  to 
the  lesson.  He  must  not  thresh  over  old  straw, 
but  if  he  speaks  at  all,  let  him  bring  something 
fresh  and  something  adapted  to  the  peculiar  con- 
ditions of  that  day. 

We  may  well  declare  hostility  against  the  pas- 
tor as  a  mere  lecturer  to  the  school.  It  has  come 
to  pass,  alas,  too  often,  that  pastors,  either  from 
mistaken  convictions  of  duty  or  from  an  effort 
to  make  a  display  of  their  learning,  have  greatly 
afflicted  their  schools  by  their  prolonged  and  sap- 
less addresses.  What  the  pastor  says  ought  to  be 
brief,  well  considered,  tersely  put,  and  uttered 
with  glow  and  passion.  There  ought  to  be  a 
ceaseless  variety  in  the  pastor's  addresses,  and 


THE  PASTOR  ON  THE  INSIDE.  71 

when  he  opens  his  mouth  there  ought  to  be  an 
instant  hush  in  eager  expectation  of  something 
good  to  come.  It  is  no  common  honor  to  speak 
to  Bible  students  and  pastors  ought  to  learn  how 
to  do  it  well.  Above  all,  they  ought  to  have  the 
gumption  and  grace  to  know  how  to  speak  ac- 
ceptably to  children.  A  pastor  can  afford  to 
study  closely  for  five  years  in  order  to  catch  the 
art  of  speaking  seriously  and  effectively  to  chil- 
dren. This  is  one  of  the  highest  of  all  pastoral 
accomplishments. 

There  is  no  end  to  the  pointed  and  telling 
things  which  a  studious  pastor  may  gather  for  his 
school.  Almost  every  session  will  bring  its  own 
lesson  and  give  the  living  pastor  a  straight  road 
to  the  hearts  of  the  people.  It  is  often  pardon- 
able in  a  pastor  for  being  silent,  but  it  is  never 
pardonable  for  him  to  be  dull  or  pointless,  or 
reckless,  or  frivolous  in  what  he  says.  If  he  is  in 
living  unity  with  Christ  he  will  generally  have 
things  to  say,  things  born  of  or  fitted  to  the  oc- 
casion, and  yet  born  from  above,  and  which  will 
come  to  the  souls  of  the  people  with  the  reviving 
breath  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

3.  There  is  a  practical  business  view  of  the 
pastor's  presence  in  the  Sunday-school.  It  is  not 
the  purpose  of  these  lectures  to  degrade  the  pas- 
tor to  the  world  of  detail,  and  yet  there  are  some 
things  of  a  business  sort  which  must  inevitably 
command  his  attention.     A  pastor  ought  to  be  in 


72  THE  PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

sight  of  the  officers  of  the  school,  who,  in  a  great 
many  cases,  need  the  restraint  and  refinement  of 
his  presence.  It  is  quite  often  that  the  officers 
of  the  school,  perched  as  they  are  upon  the  plat- 
form, sometimes  worried  by  the  disorder  or  mis- 
management of  the  school,  become  too  curt,  too 
positive,  too  overbearing  in  their  treatment  of 
others.  A  pastor  must  see,  without  seeming  to 
see,  and  correct  irregularities  like  this.  Some- 
times he  can  rectify  them  by  a  look  or  a  hint,  but 
now  and  then  more  decided  measures  will  be 
necessary,  and  he  must  have  wisdom  for  the  hour. 
He,  too,  must  live  in  sight  of  the  teachers,  know 
every  one  of  them  by  name,  and  know  where  they 
are  weak  and  where  they  are  strong ;  know  when 
changes  ought  to  be  made,  and  then,  with  a  craft 
almost  divine,  he  must  provide  for  every  emer- 
gency, and  that,  too,  if  possible,  in  a  noiseless 
way  and  through  regular  official  channels.  He 
may  detect  wrongs  in  administration  or  perils  at 
their  birth,  and  must  have  a  genius  for  correc- 
tion. He,  too,  must  know  the  library,  see  how  it 
is  managed,  see  what  books  are  bought,  see  hov^^ 
they  are  handled,  and  see  that  the  children  are 
well  treated  when  they  take  the  books  out  or 
bring  them  back. 

Think  not  that  there  is  degradation  in  the  re- 
quirement that  the  pastor  is  to  be  the  master  of  de- 
tails. Every  leader  must  be  an  inspector.  It  is 
named  as  the  mark  of  every  great  military  leader 


THE    PASTOR   ON   THE   INSIDE.  73 

that  his  eye  is  everywhere.  He  knows  every  corps, 
every  division,  every  regiment,  every  company, 
every  officer,  and  well  nigh  every  man.  He 
knows  the  camps,  the  cooks,  the  rations,  the  guns, 
the  tents,  the  roads,  the  hospitals,  the  supplies  and 
the  needs.  This  touch  of  omniscience,  this 
ubiquity,  this  emerging  at  the  moment  for  action 
is  a  part  of  his  outfit,  or  rather  of  his  inward  fit- 
ness. This  gives  him  elevation  of  view,  an  atti- 
tude for  superintendence,  the  place  of  guardian- 
ship, and  the  rank  of  leadership. 

The  lesson  of  the  day  for  Baptists  to  learn  is 
the  doctrine  of  pastoral  sovereignty.  The  cry 
which  rings  farthest  and  pierces  most  deeply  is 
the  cry  for  leaders,  and  those  who  cry  not 
simply  do  not  know  their  need.  Beneath  this 
clamor  for  masterful  men  we  must  breed  a  strong- 
er faith.  Churches  must  cry  for  faith,  this  time 
faith  in  their  pastors  and  faith  on  the  part  of  min- 
isters in  their  churches.  Until  this  comes  to  a 
church  there  can  be  no  pastoral  confidence  and 
leadership.  But  this  faith  is  not  to  come  more 
from  the  Lord  than  from  the  character  of  the 
minister.  The  Lord  will  work  no  wonders  to 
make  honest  men  believe  blindly  in  pastors  who 
have  no  energy,  no  progress,  no  courage  and  no 
power  of  initiative.  The  trouble  is  that  even 
when  the  pastor  has  these  things  he  Is  such  a 
novelty,  such  an  original  wonder,  that  the  people 
fear  to  trust  him.     They  wear  him  out  with  mis- 


74  THE  PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

trust  before  they  come  to  trust  him.  Here  we 
may  pray  with  soul  and  mind — that  God  will  send 
leaders  and  prophets  for  the  people  and  that  he 
will  give  the  churches  the  grace  to  receive  and 
follow  them. 

Now,  all  this  lies  far  out  of  the  sphere  of  a 
stupid,  clumsy-headed  pastor,  whose  heart  can 
not  enter  into  the  spiritual  life  and  movement  of 
the  school.  Of  course  that  man  who  thinks  chief- 
ly of  his  bread,  or  his  place,  or  of  how  little  he 
can  do  and  yet  stay,  is  not  fit — what !  to  be  a  pas- 
tor? Why,  of  course  not,  and  not  fit  to  carry  a 
gospel  commission,  and  we  have  a  perfect  right  to 
doubt  whether  he  has  one.  But  we  are  dealing 
with  the  pastor,  the  real,  living,  God-made  pas- 
tor, the  man  with  the  shepherd's  voice  and  the 
shepherd's  crook,  the  man  whose  eye  is  every- 
where and  whose  love,  atmospheric,  pervasive 
and  constructive,  fills  the  entire  place.  He  is  the 
man  who  has  a  place  on  the  inside.  He  belongs 
there.  He  is  the  sovereign  of  that  realm,  and  the 
longer  he  stays  the  stronger  and  sweeter  will  be 
his  sway.  He  lives  not  for  this  world,  and  yet 
his  Father  sees  that  all  of  these  things  shall  be 
added  unto  him,  and  as  he  does  his  Father's  will 
he  has  free  access  to  his  Father's  store  -  house. 
I  wonder  whether  we  have  yet  seen  the  perfect 
pastor.  I  fear  that  he  has  not  reached  our 
borders  nor  settled  among  us.  Not  that  I  dis- 
parage the  noble  dead  and  not  that  I  cast  a  shad- 


THE   PASTOR   ON   THE   INSIDE.  75 

ow  on  the  skilled  and  consecrated  men  who  are  yet 
living.  The  office  is  lofty,  and  its  duties  touch  the 
Lord  on  one  side  and  the  redeemed  upon  the 
earth  on  the  other. 

I  confess  that  I  was  always  ashamed  of  my  do- 
ings as  a  pastor — it  was  always  so  far  below  the 
standard.  I  was  ashamed  that  I  did  so  little — 
did  that  little  so  imperfectly — did  so  much  to 
discredit  the  little  done — had  motives  so  mixed, 
had  sermons  meanly  made  and  stupidly  preached, 
made  visits  so  unmeaning  and  purposeless, 
played  with  my  studies,  drooped  in  my  prayers, 
had  so  little  fruit,  harvested  that  so  languidly, 
loved  my  people  so  little,  and  gave  them  so  little 
reason  for  loving  me,  frittered  away  my  time 
and  lost  chances  all  the  way.  When  I  closed 
my  pastoral  life,  I  writhed  to  think  that  the 
church  was  not  better  and  that  I  was  to  blame. 
There  were  heights  of  service  in  the  pastorate 
I  missed  for  not  being  more  faithful,  and  I 
almost  envied — perhaps  did— my  brother  pastors 
who  outstripped  me  in  toils  and  upward  struggles. 
But  I  gave  them  honor,  and  waved  my  admiring 
greetings  up  to  them. 

But  friends  think  not  my  tongue  is  evil — I 
would  not  speak  ill  of  my  fellow  pastors — that 
choice  brotherhood  of  undershepherds,  but  I  tell 
you  out  of  my  heart  that  I  have  not  yet  seen  one 
of  these  men  treading  the  white  level  of  table 
lands    in    the    mountains    of    the    Lord.     They 


^6  THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

climbed  well,  passed  many  in  their  heroic  climb, 
looked  beautiful  in  the  upper  lights,  but  not  one 
topped  the  mountain.  Its  heights  are  still  un- 
tracked — no  feet  have  pressed  it  yet  except  those 
of  the  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  our  souls. 

I  almost  quiver  with  the  masterful  hope  that 
if  I  could  enter  the  lists  again,  I  v/ould  touch 
the  radiant  crown  of  the  mount  of  the  Faithful. 
But  no ;  it  is  not  for  me.  They  give  no  second 
trials.  But  young  man,  yonder  is  the  mountain, 
yonder  the  winding  track,  yonder  the  climbers, 
go  in,  go  in  with  flying  feet  and  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  and  you  may  be  the  first  to  see  the 
sun  set  from  the  mountain  top. 


THE  PASTOR  ABROAD.  77 

LECTURE  III. 

THE    PASTOR    ABROAD. 

One  has  not  far  to  travel  before  he  will  en- 
counter variant  opinions  as  to  the  central  point 
of  a  pastor's  power.  There  are  some  who  always 
put  the  emphasis  chiefly  upon  the  sermon, 
maintaining  that  if  a  man  will  hide  himself  in 
his  study  during  the  week,  devote  himself  to 
reading  and  study  and  then  emerge  on  Sunday 
morning  from  his  retreat  ladened  with  a  rich  and 
thrilling  sermon,  or,  in  the  case  of  a  city  pastor, 
with  two  sermons,  that  that  will  entirely  fulfill 
the  law.  He  who  maintains  this  view  would 
transmute  the  minister  into  a  recluse,  and  release 
and  even  exile  himself  from  social  contact  with 
his  congregation.  It  is  proper  to  say  that  this 
view  is  held  chiefly  by  ministers  who  shrink  from 
commingling  with  the  people,  or  who,  under  the 
guise  of  great  studiousness,  would  hide  their 
aversion  to  the  pastoral  visit.  They  receive  the 
sympathy  of  some  persons  who  fail  to  see  any 
benefit  in  house  to  house  work,  and  who  think 
of  the  minister  not  as  a  friend  and  counselor, 
but  simply  as  a  preacher. 

There  are  many  others  who  underscore  the 
value  of  the  personal  touch.  With  them  the 
sermon  is  the  incident  and  the  visit  is  the  event 


78  THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

of  the  ministry.  This  view  is  held  by  some 
ministers  who  are  intellectually  indolent,  or  who 
find  it  more  agreeable  to  mix  socially  with  their 
people  than  to  give  themselves  faithfully  to  the 
study  of  the  Word.  In  every  church  there  are 
found  some  who  think  of  the  pastor  chiefly  as 
a  companion.  They  delight  to  have  him  as  a 
guest  in  their  homes,  to  sit  at  their  boards  and 
to  entertain  them  with  spicy  and  cheerful  conver- 
sation. For  instruction  and  edification  they  care 
little,  but  upon  the  pastor,  who  often  crosses 
their  threshold  and  is  conspicuous  in  their  social 
functions,  they  set  a  very  high  value.  With 
them  the  pastor  is  acceptable  just  in  proportion 
to  his  sociability. 

I  need  not  say  that,  as  is  usual  with  all  extreme 
views,  both  of  these  positions,  as  to  the  pre-emi- 
nent duty  of  the  pastor  to  his  people,  are  unsatis- 
factory. The  history  of  the  Christian  ministry 
abundantly  attests  the  truth  that  the  pastor  who 
hides  from  his  people,  broods  over  his  books  and 
preaches  profound  and  hard  wrought  sermons, 
and  does  only  that,  is  doomed  to  failure.  He 
may  possibly  gather  about  him  a  small  coterie  of 
intellectual  and  cultivated  hearers,  who  may  ex- 
alt him  into  a  hero,  but  he  will  inevitably  prove 
to  be  an  alien  among  the  common  people.  There 
is  not  one  minister  In  a  thousand  who  can  hold 
his  church  with  no  tie  to  bind  his  people  to  him 


THE  PASTOR  ABROAD.  79 

except  the  messages  which  he  delivers  from  the 
pulpit. 

So,  on  the  other  hand,  the  man  who  is  for- 
ever afloat,  who  accounts  his  visits  as  the  whole 
duty  of  his  life,  and  who  seeks  to  divert  attention 
from  the  poverty  of  his  preaching  by  his  inde- 
fatigable activities  and  his  continuous  visibility, 
will  not  endure  long.  If  his  people  are  either 
moderately  sensible  or  intelligently  spiritual  they 
will  soon  detect  the  emptiness  of  his  pulpit  per- 
formances and  inexorably  demand  something 
more  substantial  and  nutritious. 

Indeed,  the  sermon  and  the  visit  ought  never 
to  be  put  at  variance.  They  are  twins,  inherent- 
ly congenial  and  complementary  one  of  the  other. 
The  strong  sermon  is  not  born  of  alienation  from 
the  people,  and  the  visit,  when  made  reasonably, 
has  nothing  in  it  to  rob  the  sermon  of  its  sweet- 
ness or  its  power.  Indeed,  the  sermon  Itself  will 
give  dignity  and  relish  to  the  visit,  and  the  visit 
will  gather  spoils  and  treasures  for  the  sermon. 
The  sermon  and  the  visit  are  the  two  bonds 
which  bind  the  pastor  and  his  people  together, 
neither  of  which  is  sufficiently  strong  of  itself  to 
preserve  the  union,  but  both  of  them,  when  hon- 
est and  sympathetic,  will  create  a  tie  which  noth- 
ing on  earth  can  break. 

As  the  next  lecture  will  have  to  do  with  the 
pulpit,  the  present  lecture  must  concern  itself 
with  the  pastoral  visit. 


80  THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

And  you  will  permit  me  here  and  now  to  pro- 
claim my  unfeigned  respect  for  what  is  commonly 
called  the  pastoral  visit.  I  believe  thoroughly  in 
its  value,  its  reasonableness  and  its  necessity. 
Not  that  we  ought  to  endorse  all  of  the  cruel  and 
senseless  exactions  which  some  churches  make 
upon  their  pastors,  not  that  we  are  to  respect  the 
shallow  and  superficial  methods  which  some  pas- 
tors adopt  in  order  to  make  a  show  of  their  in- 
dustry in  this  respect,  and  not  that  we  are  to  feel 
other  than  quenchless  contempt  for  those  who 
seek  to  win  reputation  by  exaggerated  reports  of 
visits  made  only  for  the  sake  of  counting,  and  in 
no  respect  worthy  of  being  counted.  The  pastoral 
visit  must  be  conscientious,  purposeful,  charged 
with  holy  courtesy,  and  made  in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord. 

The  seminal  thought  in  the  visit  is  personal 
contact.  It  brings  the  pastor  face  to  face  with 
one  or  more  of  his  people,  and  always  for  a  pur- 
pose. Even  when  it  is  largely  for  acquaintance- 
ship, it  must  have  in  it,  not  too  conspicuous,  the 
religious  element.  It  is  always  good  and  useful, 
though  it  has  no  other  distinct  intent  except  to 
express  a  pastor's  gracious  love.  Many  a  time 
a  visit  must  go  loaded  with  compassion  and  con- 
solation, for  it  goes  to  the  house  of  sorrow  and 
seeks  to  heal  the  broken  hearted.  It  must  not  be 
too  dainty  nor  fastidious,  for  it  has  to  enter  rude 
houses  without  carpet  or  ornament  or  warmth, 


THE  PASTOR  ABROAD.  8l 

and  has  often  to  stand  by  the  unmade  bed  and 
hold  the  withered  hand  and  carry  away  the  dust 
of  the  floor  gathered  as  it  bent  in  prayer. 

The  pastoral  visit  received  unnumbered  en- 
dorsements in  the  life  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  He 
visited  the  degraded  and  ostracized,  and  carried 
them  salvation ;  he  talked  forgivingly  to  the  wom- 
an that  was  a  sinner,  and  that  other  woman  at  the 
well;  he  broke  bread  with  Simon  the  leper  and 
Levi  the  publican;  he  visited  Lazarus  and  the 
sisters  in  the  days  of  their  joy,  and  shared  their 
hospitality,  and  afterwards  was  there  again  when 
death  had  done  its  work ;  there  to  preach  the  doc- 
trine of  the  resurrection  and  the  life. 

It  is  enough  to  fill  us  with  horror  to  hear 
some  stupid  and  half-hearted  ministers  speak 
contemptuously  of  the  pastoral  visit.  I  recall  an 
incident  which  took  place  in  the  life  of  that  match- 
less pulpit  orator.  Dr.  Richard  Fuller,  of  Balti- 
more, who  for  many  years  was  the  pride  and  ad- 
miration of  Southern  Baptists.  He  was  once  in 
conversation  with  a  young  pastor  who  spoke  dis- 
paragingly of  the  pastoral  visit.  He  said  that  his 
church  exacted  it  at  his  hands,  declared  his  un- 
willingness to  mix  with  the  people,  and  appealed 
to  Dr.  Fuller  for  justification  of  his  course.  The 
Doctor  reddened  with  indignation,  and  said  with 
undisguised  severity:  "Young  man,  I  do  not  say 
that  it  will  be  necessary  for  you  to  visit  your  peo- 
ple— possibly  you  may  have  genius  and  eloquence 


82  THE   PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

enough  to  bind  them  to  you  without  the  visit, 
but  I  declare  to  you  that  if  I  were  to  cease  my 
work  in  the  homes  of  my  people  I  could  not  hold 
my  pastorate  for  two  years."  This  was  the  ut- 
terance of  a  man  who  was  the  prince  of  the  Amer- 
ican pulpit,  and  who  yet  felt  that  an  essential  part 
of  his  work  was  to  enter  the  homes  and  deal  face 
to  face  with  the  people.  Not  that  he  gave  all  of 
his  time  to  this,  nor  so  wasted  his  vital  forces  as 
to  cripple  him  in  the  pulpit,  but  he  made  the  ser- 
mon and  the  visit  too,  each  in  its  due  proportion, 
and  in  a  time  and  way  that  each  helped  the  other. 
If  a  pastor  loves  his  people  warmly  and  truly,  the 
visit  will  take  care  of  itself.  Sometimes  it  will 
take  the  form  of  a  note;  sometimes  it  will  be  a 
request  to  call  on  the  pastor ;  sometimes  it  will  be 
a  delightful  chat  on  the  highway  or  in  the  street ; 
sometimes  it  will  be  a  talk  after  the  service,  at  the 
foot  of  the  pulpit  or  out  at  the  carriage  in  the 
grove ;  sometimes  it  will  be  a  letter  when  one  or 
the  other  is  away  from  home — as  for  that,  loving 
hearts  always  know  how  to  get  together. 

I  had  the  pleasure  one  Sunday  morning  of 
riding  in  an  open  carriage  with  Charles  H.  Spur- 
geon,  the  pastor  of  the  Metropolitan  Tabernacle 
of  London.  It  was  after  he  had  preached  to  his 
great  congregation,  and  our  way  lay  along  Clap- 
ham  Road,  along  the  sidewalks  of  which 
streamed  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  those  who 
belonged  to  Mr.  Spurgeon's  church.     It  seemed 


THE   PASTOR   ABROAD.  83 

to  me  that  he  knew  every  one  of  them,  and  he  had 
a  bow,  a  wave  of  his  hand,  and  often  joyous,  open 
laughter  for  every  group,  and  apparently  for 
every  individual.  Many  he  called  by  name,  many 
he  greeted  with  his  hat  off ;  to  some  he  threw  out 
a  few  words  of  kindly  greeting,  and  now  and 
then  the  carriage  halted  or  crept  slowly  to  allow 
him  a  handshake  or  a  brief  interchange  of  affec- 
tionate salutations.  It  seemed  to  me  he  paia  a 
hundred  essential  visits  that  day.  I  wondered 
how  many  remembered  that  morning  afterwards, 
when  the  news  came  that  their  great  hearted  pas- 
tor was  dead.  Spurgeon  was  too  great  not  to 
believe  in  the  pastoral  visit. 

May  I  not  tell  another  incident  connected  with 
Spurgeon's  pastoral  spirit?  We  were  riding  one 
stormy  evening  through  the  country,  some  miles 
away  from  London,  on  our  way  to  the  home  of 
one  of  Spurgeon's  most  admiring  friends.  It 
was  near  nightfall  and  the  weather  was  exceed- 
ingly rough.  Mr.  Spurgeon  told  his  friend  that 
one  of  his  members  lived  off  the  road  some  dis- 
tance and  was  sick  and  had  sent  a  request  to  see 
him.  His  friend  almost  severely  opposed  the 
idea  of  the  visit,  pleading  the  lateness  of  the  hour, 
the  suffering  of  the  horses  and  the  discomfort  of 
the  driver.  Spurgeon  made  three  distinct  ap- 
peals to  his  friend  to  take  him  to  see  his  sick 
brother,  and  failing  in  all,  he  threw  open  the  car- 
riage door,  asked  the  driver  if  he  was  willing  to 


84  THE   PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

face  the  storm  in  order  that  he  might  pay  the 
visit,  and  won  the  driver's  consent,  and,  over  the 
protest  of  his  host,  went  nearly  three  miles  out  of 
his  way  in  the  beating  rain  to  see  his  suffering 
brother.  I  never  doubted  after  that  Spurgeon's 
power.  It  was  in  the  boundless  affection  which 
he  had  for  his  people.  Pastors  come  and  pastors 
go,  but  it  is  only  the  visiting  pastor  who  stays. 
I  salute  the  pastoral  visit.  It  is  an  embassy  of 
good  will,  a  love  breeder,  a  complaint  extinguish- 
er, a  heart  cheerer,  a  sermon  maker  and  a  soul 
winner. 

A  pastor's  value  is  largely  the  product  of 
growth.  I  know  that  many  are  fascinated  with 
the  sensation  of  a  new  pastorate.  There  are  un- 
questionably advantages  which  are  the  heritage 
of  the  newcomer.  He  has  a  certain  amount  of 
fixed  capital,  though  not  always  well  fixed  and 
sometimes  inflexibly  fixed,  in  the  way  of  sermons ; 
he  has  experience,  which  is  always  valuable,  and 
there  is  always  an  impulsive  enthusiasm  which 
goes  out  to  greet  the  coming  man.  His  own  nov- 
elty and  the  curiosity  of  the  community  will  float 
him  for  a  season,  and  great  crowds  and  charming 
compliments  often  gild  a  pastor's  beginning  with 
apparent  success.  But  after  all,  that  does  not 
amount  to  much.  The  excitement  which  attends 
his  arrival  is  necessarily  capricious  and  can  not 
be  trusted  for  the  future.  In  a  little  while  this 
popular  enthusiasm  will  vanish  away  and  things 


THE  PASTOR  ABROAD.  85 

must  settle  down  to  their  natural  level.  He  must 
reach  a  time  when  he  will  get  a  rational  view  of 
the  situation,  when  his  work  in  its  plainness,  its 
drawbacks  and  its  depressions  will  stand  out  be- 
fore him,  and  when  he  feels  that  he  is  to  watch 
for  souls  as  one  who  gives  account.  If  he  is  a 
thoroughly  conscientious  and  devoted  man  he 
will  feel  that  he  needs  something  better  than  his 
old  sermons  or  his  former  reputation  to  mould 
him  into  his  new  relation  with  his  people.  Right- 
ly enough  he  may  search  for  hearts  by  his  ser- 
mon, and  if  he  preaches  a  living  gospel  which  he 
himself  is  living,  he  will  set  souls  on  fire  and  draw 
them  to  himself. 

But  no  preacher  need  ever  hope  to  discover 
the  wants  of  his  church  by  simply  using  the  pul- 
pit for  his  observatory.  He  may  ascend  the 
mountain  and  glow  with  transfiguration  glory, 
but  he  can  not  linger  on  the  mountain  top.  The 
multitude  can  not  attend  him  there.  He  must 
descend  to  the  plane  where  the  masses  of  the  peo- 
ple toil  and  suffer  and  cry  for  comfort.  It  is  at 
the  bottom  that  he  is  to  do  his  healing.  The  sor- 
rowful and  the  lost  are  in  the  depths  and  he  must 
go  down  and  link  himself  to  them  before  he  can 
ever  lift  them  up.  I  lay  it  down  as  an  undeniable 
proposition,  that  a  minister  will  be  effective  in 
pastoral  service  just  in  proportion  to  his  identi- 
fication with  his  people.  As  already  indicated, 
the  new  comer,  with  his  best  sermons,  thrilling 


86  THE   PASTOR  AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

Stories  and  beaming  optimism  as  to  the  future, 
may  create  a  stir  for  a  season,  but  all  this  must 
fade  and  die.  Flippant,  assuming  men,  telling  of 
the  great  things  they  have  done  and  of  the  greater 
tilings  they  expect  to  do,  may  possibly  deceive  the 
very  elect  for  a  while,  but  their  subsequent  con- 
duct will  help  the  elect  to  come  back  to  their 
senses.     Men  of  this  type  are  of  little  worth. 

What  is  needed  is  the  true  man,  the  man  who 
has  broken  with  folly  and  ambition,  whose  hfe  is 
hid  with  Christ  in  God,  whose  reigning  purpose 
is  to  serve  others,  who  has  a  good  understanding 
with  his  Master,  and  who  has  a  message  for  his 
people — that  is  the  man  which  our  churches  need 
to  secure  as  a  pastor.  He  is  no  morning  cloud, 
glowing  fitfully  in  the  sunlight  and  then  dissolv- 
ing from  view.  He  grows  stronger  with  his 
church  the  longer  he  stays.  He  does  better  v/ork 
the  second  year  than  the  first,  the  second  five  than 
the  first  five,  and  into  the  last  year  of  his  pasto- 
rate is  gathered  the  wealth  of  all  preceding  years. 
His  field  never  gives  out,  he  never  lacks  for  texts 
and  has  little  use  for  old  sermons.  His  thought 
is  upon  his  work  and  his  eye  wanders  not  away 
in  quest  of  other  fields.  His  soul  is  married  to 
his  people,  and  there  he  will  stay  until  God  as- 
signs him  to  another  charge,  or  calls  him  to  his 
crown. 

If  this  be  true,  then  the  pastor  is  the  man  who 
stays,  stays  long  enough  to  measure  his  field,  to 


THE  PASTOR  ABROAD.  87 

know  the  inner  life  of  his  members,  to  be  ac- 
quainted with  the  children,  to  have  such  an  in- 
telligent view  of  his  work  that  he  knows  where  he 
is  needed  and  what  he  is  needed  for,  and  to  know 
the  face  of  a  stranger  when  he  comes  in  sight. 
This  is  the  man  of  this  lecture — the  sought  for 
of  the  ages,  the  desired  of  all  churches,  a  great- 
hearted man  of  God,  out  on  his  rounds  and  at  his 
business. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  point  out  what  that 
man  will  be  worth  to  the  Sunday-school.  Not 
that  he  is  specifically  a  Sunday-school  missionary, 
or  that  he  is  incessantly  harping  on  the  duty  of 
attending  the  Sunday-school.  All  that  you  need 
to  do  with  him  is  to  open  his  gate  and  let  him  go 
out,  and  the  results  will  be  seen  along  his  path. 
If  he  enters  a  family  his  talk  and  his  prayers  will 
exalt  the  Word  of  God  in  the  view  of  that  family. 
He  will  make  the  Bible  shine  with  divine  radiance 
as  he  unfolds  its  doctrines.  He  will  make  the 
father  and  mother  realize  the  unspeakable  im- 
portance of  studying  the  Word  of  God,  studying 
it  with  each  other,  studying  it  with  their  children 
at  home,  studying  it  with  their  brethren.  Not  by 
stormy  frowns  nor  slashing  criticisms  will  he 
seek  to  drive  his  people  into  the  Sunday-school, 
but  he  will  charm  them  and  draw  them  to  the 
school  by  the  magnetism  of  his  love.  A  man 
with  his  temper  and  grace  will  invest  the  Sun- 
day-school with  attractions  which  will  draw  both 


88  THE   PASTOR   AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

young  and  old.  Out  of  the  fountain  of  his  own 
experience  will  he  ever  draw  material  for  restrain- 
ing the  tempted,  recovering  the  wayward  and  of 
winning  the  stranger.  His  life  will  be  an  em- 
bodied argument  in  favor  of  studying  the  Word 
of  God. 

In  the  light  of  what  we  have  said  we  may 
study  yet  more  fully  the  pastor's  power  in  social 
life,  and  more  especially  as  it  is  exerted  for  the 
advancement  of  the  Sunday-school. 

I.  We  may  first  study  the  motive  which  must 
control  the  'pastor  in  his  attempt  to  advance  the 
influence  and  prosperity  of  the  Sunday-school. 
Human  actions  are  always  more  or  less  compli- 
cated, being  the  resultant  of  many  conscious,  and 
likely  enough  many  more  unconscious,  influences ; 
but  we  know  that  behind  every  human  act  there 
is  one  motive  —  one  sovereign,  overmastering 
motive.  This  master-passion  may  be  waited 
upon  by  many  subordinates,  and  between  them  all 
there  may  be  kinship  and  concurrence  which 
bring  the  final  result.  Upon  no  man  do  more 
motives  necessarily  play  than  upon  a  Christian 
minister,  and  when  he  goes  forth  in  the  walks  of 
life,  bent  on  multipling  the  numbers  of  those  who 
are  to  engage  in  the  study  of  the  Word  of  God, 
he  will  find  that  he  is  the  subject  of  many  second- 
ary motives.  It  is  not  intended  here  to  repudi- 
ate incidental  influences  nor  to  deny  the  lawful- 
ness or  the  safety  of  resorting  to  minor  motives, 


THE   PASTOR  ABROAD.  89 

not  wrong  in  themselves,  for  accomplishing  good 
ends,  but  we  can  not  disguise  the  fact  that  dan- 
gers lie  along  this  way  for  every  active  and  enter- 
prising pastor.  It  is  of  the  utmost  import  that 
he  shall  not  work  any  motive  for  more  than  it  is 
worth. 

We  do  not  denounce  outright  the  pastor's  ap- 
peal to  the  pride  of  his  church  as  a  motive  for  en- 
tering into  Christian  service.  He  may  unfold  to 
his  laggard  members  the  actual  situation  of  the 
church,  the  unquestioned  superiority  of  neigh- 
boring Sunday-schools,  the  devoted  loyalty  of 
other  denominations  to  their  work,  and  the  glo- 
rious success  which  would  crown  the  church  if 
all  would  fall  in  and  do  their  part.  He  may  ex- 
plain to  them  the  depression  under  which  he  is 
made  to  suffer  by  the  languor  and  apathy  of  his 
people,  and  call  their  attention  to  the  higher  rank 
which  other  churches  maintain  and  the  nobler 
respect  which  they  command  by  a  fidelity  which 
his  own  congregation  does  not  exhibit.  There 
is  a  margin,  a  lawful  margin,  for  this  appeal  to 
the  pride  of  the  church,  and  it  ought  to  gather 
additional  strength  when  the  fact  is  brought  out 
that  the  distinctive  principles  for  which  Baptists 
stand  committed  are  put  in  peril  by  the  culpable 
indifference  and  the  worldliness  of  Baptist  peo- 
ple. At  the  same  time  there  is  danger  in  playing 
upon  motives  of  a  questionable  nature.  The  ap- 
peal to  rivalry  is  always  dangerous,  and  when 


go  THE   PASTOR  AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

overworked,  as  it  is  likely  to  be,  inevitably  works 
damage  to  the  truth. 

The  pastor  may  also  innocently  resort  to  the 
social  appeal.  There  is  great  power  in  this  with 
certain  classes  of  people.  When  they  hear  of 
genial  and  charming  society  in  the  school,  of  the 
choice  fellowship  of  the  young  people,  and  of  the 
delightful  friendships  which  grow  out  of  their 
commingling,  he  plays  upon  a  powerful  chord. 
Nor  is  there  essential  harm  in  it.  Our  Lord  him- 
self recognized  the  social  instinct  as  a  force  in  his 
kingdom,  and  sought  to  sanctify  it  to  the  upbuild- 
ing of  the  truth.  Surely  we  need  not  fear  to  fol- 
low our  Lord  in  anything.  At  the  same  time, 
there  must  be  limits  upon  this  very  rational  ap- 
peal. We  know  that  the  social  spirit  of  young 
people  is  arbitrary  and  moody;  they  usually  like 
those  that  they  are  expected  not  to  like,  and  are 
stubborn  beyond  measure  in  recoiling  from  those 
whom  we  take  special  pains  to  show  them  that 
they  ought  to  love  and  associate  with.  When  we 
bring  persons  into  our  schools  with  the  promise 
that  they  will  find  delightful  society,  we  neces- 
sarily run  the  risk  of  undertaking  to  blend  into 
social  intimacy  those  who  are  essentially  uncon- 
genial. Too  often  new  comers  in  pursuit  of 
society  become  chagrined  and  embittered  by  be- 
ing thrown  with  those  with  whom  they  can  never 
coalesce. 

In  our  day  it  is  quite  a  fashion  to  stake  much 


THE   PASTOR  ABROAD.  9I 

on  the  beautiful  arrangements  for  our  Sunday- 
schools.  Magnificent  school-rooms,  with  beau- 
tiful windows,  elegant  furniture  and  painted 
walls,  are  the  order  of  the  times.  These  things 
are  entirely  proper,  and,  incidentally,  they  may 
be  used  as  attractions,  but  no  Sunday-school  can 
ever  be  built  up  on  the  mere  architectural  beau- 
ties of  the  house.  As  a  rule,  the  larger  schools 
are  found  in  the  plainest  buildings,  and  those 
who  have  spent  great  sums  of  money  with  the 
idea  that  handsome  buildings  will  draw  great 
crowds  have  been  fatally  mistaken.  It  is  not  the 
house  which  makes  the  school. 

Sunday-school  enthusiasts  are  also  exceed- 
ingly fertile  in  devices  for  pleasing  the  children. 
There  must  be  appeals  to  their  eye,  their  ear,  their 
imagination  and  their  heart,  and  many  schools 
seem  bent  upon  making  spectacles  of  themselves. 
They  accumulate  great  libraries,  give  evening  en- 
tertainments, provide  picnics,  excursions,  clubs, 
games  and  sometimes  other  and  far  more  ques- 
tionable things,  as  means  of  building  up  the 
school.  These  things  are  not  necessarily  hurtful 
— indeed,  in  many  cases  they  are  manifestly  ad- 
vantageous and  do  sometimes  attract  new  mate- 
rial in  the  school.  That  they  always  succeed  is 
not  true,  as  Sunday-school  people  well  know. 
These  things  come  to  the  children  as  subsidies — 
come  with  contaminating  power,  and  serve  to 
transform  the  children  into  tramps,  who  flit  from 


92  THE   PASTOR  AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

school  to  school  in  quest  of  richer  luxuries  or 
more  sensational  entertainments. 

These  be  samples  merely  of  the  things  which 
pastors  are  prompted  to  employ  in  the  struggle 
to  improve  and  enlarge  their  schools.  It  is  to  be 
regretted  that  not  a  few  of  our  ministers  are 
wanting  in  discrimination ;  they  know  not  how  to 
weigh  and  measure  things,  and  ofttimes  they  use 
secondary  and  even  unworthy  motives  in  order 
to  crowd  their  schools  with  new  scholars. 

Happy,  indeed,  is  that  pastor  who  can  separate 
between  what  is  fundamental  and  what  is  inci- 
dental ;  who  can  rank  things  at  their  real  worth, 
and  who,  discarding  sensations  and  overworked 
amusements,  appeals  primarily  and  habitually  to 
the  best  that  is  in  human  nature. 

There  is  in  reality  but  one  commanding  motive 
to  be  used  in  building  up  the  Sunday-school,  and 
that  is  that  the  school  js  for  the  definite  and  ex- 
alted purpose  of  studying  the  Word  of  God.  As 
that  is  the  cardinal  purpose  for  which  the  school 
has  been  established,  that,  to  a  very  large  extent, 
should  be  the  ever-present  reason  for  seeking  to 
bring  others  into  it.  If  they  come  for  any  other 
reason  they  will  speedily  become  discontented, 
and  all  the  struggle  to  bring  them  in  will  come  at 
last  to  nought. 

It  ought  to  be  laid  down  as  a  great  and  reg- 
nant principle  that  the  aggressive  efforts  to  en- 
large the  Sunday-school  shall  be  exactly  in  accord- 


THE  PASTOR  ABROAD.  93 

ance  with  the  reason  for  establishing  the  school. 
Of  course,  there  is  danger  that  some  will  be  led 
by  these  remarks  to  take  a  view  too  narrow  and 
severe,  and  to  feel  that  efforts  made  for  the  en- 
largement of  the  Sunday-school  must  be  invested 
with  a  funereal  solemnity  and  with  a  grimness 
most  repulsive  to  the  young.  That  which  it  is 
here  intended  shall  be  urged  with  all  intensity  is 
that  true  godliness,  good  sense  and  sober  judg- 
ment shall  sit  in  council  when  the  methods  for 
building  up  the  Sunday-school  are  to  be  under 
debate.  Let  the  study  of  the  Scriptures  stand 
forth  as  the  supreme  duty  of  the  people,  and  let 
it  be  so  wrought  into  them  that  it  will  become  a 
living  conviction  that  the  Sunday-school  is  in- 
tended for  the  study  of  the  Word  of  God. 

2.  It  must  not  be  expected  that  a  discussion  of 
methods  will  find  a  place  in  this  lecture.  Indeed, 
let  us  remember  that  a  true  and  living  motive 
will  always  become  the  creator  of  its  own  meth- 
ods. People  who  are  mechanical  in  their  Chris- 
tian work  are  always  eager  to  secure  programs, 
schedules  and  elaborate  schemes  which  they  sup- 
pose can  be  used  to  bring  the  richest  results.  But 
they  are  mistaken.  Fill  the  man  of  God  with  a 
tremendous  purpose  and  nerve  him  with  a  living 
motive,  and  you  can  leave  the  method  to  take  care 
of  itself.  Real  earnestness  invariably  works 
itself  out,  and  when  it  is  intelligent  usually  hits 
upon  that  method  which  is  the  best  adapted  to  the 


94  THE   PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

exact  situation.  And  yet  you  may  always  count 
upon  a  pastor  to  adopt  ways  and  methods  essen- 
tially his  own,  and  with  which  he  feels  that  he  can 
work  with  the  greatest  success. 

( I )  For  one  thing,  an  efficient  pastor  will  throw 
himself  in  contact  with  his  people,  always  selecting 
the  best  time  for  his  work,  and  then  touching  the 
hearts  of  his  people  by  the  vigor  and  tenderness 
with  which  he  pleads,  that  the  people  of  his 
charge  will  become  students  of  the  Word  of  God. 
He  will  not  be  overbearing,  nor  fight  physical  or 
moral  impossibilities,  but  he  will  press  forward 
the  great  work.  He  will  rest  not  day  nor  night 
until  he  shall  bring  his  church  in  its  great  totality 
to  the  devout  and  joyful  study  of  the  Word  of 
God.  The  spirit  of  the  true  pastor  is  always  to 
work  from  the  center;  he  builds  up  from  the  in- 
side, observing  the  apostolic  order  of  beginning 
at  Jerusalem.  He  will  toil  to  increase  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  offxcers  of  the  school ;  he  will  devote 
himself  to  the  quickening  and  enlargement  of  his 
teachers ;  he  will  toil  steadily  to  gather  his  own 
people  into  the  Sunday-school,  and,  so  far  as  pos- 
sible, will  see  that  every  child  in  his  congregation, 
as  well  as  the  grown  people,  is  identified  with  the 
school.  Not  that  this  is  to  be  done  in  a  moment  of 
raving  enthusiasm.  He  must  make  no  break- 
neck round  to  drum  up  scholars.  He  must  not 
believe  that  it  is  by  jerks  and  spurts  that  God's 
kingdom  advances  on  the  earth.     He  must  be  a 


THE   PASTOR   ABROAD.  95 

man  of  dignity,  order  and  seriousness;  a  model 
of  Christian  dignity,  the  beauty  of  whose  Hfe  will 
be  an  example  for  the  community.  This  is  steady 
year  after  year  work,  but  the  pastor  must  go  on 
with  the  task,  never  thinking  for  a  moment  that 
anything  has  been  done  so  long  as  anything  re- 
mains to  be  done. 

(2)  There  is  one  better  thing  for  a  pastor  to 
do  than  work,  and  that  is  to  organize  and  inspire 
his  church  to  work,  and  after  all,  that  is  work, 
and  really  the  best  kind  of  work.  There  can  be 
no  more  stupid  zeal  than  the  dogged  and  wast- 
ing spirit  of  that  pastor  who  undertakes  to  do  it 
all  himself.  He  wrongs  others  far  more  than 
himself  by  such  disastrous  folly.  An  aggressive 
pastor  will  manage  to  keep  his  people  on  fire. 
They  will  count  it  their  meat  and  drink  to  do 
what  he  commands,  and  if  he  works  wisely  he 
will  soon  bring  his  people  to  be  the  best  cham- 
pions of  the  Sunday-school.  It  was  said  of  a  cer- 
tain Baptist  Church  that  no  new  family  could 
slip  into  the  community  ever  so  quietly  and  get  its 
furniture  in  order  before  some  representative  of 
that  church  would  be  there  in  the  interest  of  the 
Sunday-school.  It  was  declared,  perhaps  face- 
tiously, that  no  wagon  loaded  with  furniture 
could  appear  on  any  street  in  the  neighborhood 
of  that  church  without  being  followed  by  some 
member  of  the  church,  who  had  already  sent  an- 


96  THE   PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

Other  member  post  haste  to  notify  the  pastor  that 
there  were  new  prizes  in  sight. 

The  methods  of  increasing-  the  school  can  not 
be  discussed  here  except  in  their  ethical  aspects. 
It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  one  of  the  worst 
perils  of  a  school  comes  through  the  efforts  to 
advance  it.  Many  schools  seem  to  imagine  that 
the  excellence  of  the  Sunday-school  amply  jus- 
tifies almost  any  expedients  for  adding  to  its 
numbers.  It  is  a  fact  beyond  all  contradiction 
that  many  of  our  schools  have  been  corrupted 
and  cursed  in  their  very  lives  by  their  unsavory 
trickeries  in  canvassing. 

This  will  not  do.  No  school  can  afford  to 
bribe  children  to  come  to  the  Sunday-school  for  its 
instructions — the  bribe  will  discount  fatally  the 
instruction.  Of  course  I  see  that  there  must  be 
a  margin  for  charity  in  building  up  our  schools. 
A  treasury  in  the  school  for  quietly  helping  the 
poor  children  to  get  necessary  clothes  is  allow- 
able, but  it  ought  to  have  nO'  name,  no  public 
notices  and  no  advertisements  that  will  reveal  to 
the  community  a  fountain  to  which  all  may  freely 
go.  In  many  places  it  will  not  take  long  for  the 
children  of  the  neighborhood  to  find  the  way  to 
that  fountain.  It  is  strange  how  hard  it  is  to  give 
charity  in  the  Sunday-school  and  ever  afterwards 
to  be  able  to  confer  any  spiritual  blessings  upon 
the  object  of  the  charity. 

After  all  some  of  the  most  efiicient  agents  for 


THE   PASTOR   ABROAD.  97 

the  upbuilding  of  the  school  arc  the  children  them- 
selves. When  they  are  charged  with  the  true 
Sunday-school  spirit  and  instructed  and  delicately 
stimulated  by  the  pastor  to  bring  in  others  they 
make  a  sort  of  angelic  legion  in  the  service  of 
their  Lord.  They  do  not  need  rewards,  and  yet, 
as  the  anniversary  or  celebration  of  the  school 
comes  around  there  is  no  danger  of  spoiling  them 
by  the  presentation  of  a  book  in  grateful  recog- 
nition of  their  services.  They  will  cherish  a  lit- 
tle Bible  or  book  as  a  remembrance  of  happy 
service  done  for  the  Master. 

The  glory  of  service  in  the  Sunday-school  is 
its  spontaneity,  its  voluntariness,  and  this  is  the 
spirit  which  no  one  can  so  effectually  breathe  and 
cherish  in  children  as  a  wise  and  great  souled 
pastor. 

In  the  light  of  what  has  been  said  we  can  think 
of  the  pastor  abroad  as  a  commander,  visiting 
his  fortresses  and  examining  the  garrisons,  vis- 
iting the  outposts  where  the  most  exacting  serv- 
ice is  required,  visiting  the  pioneers,  the  sappers 
and  the  miners  to  see  that  they  are  on  duty  and 
to  cheer  them  to  be  faithful.  Soldiers  are  always 
more  careful  when  they  are  expecting  their  com- 
mander, and  always  feel  strengthened  when  they 
have  seen  him  in  their  midst  and  have  received 
his  courageous  orders.  The  pastor  must  exercise 
a  leadership  which  in  extent  covers  the  whole 

7 


98  THE   PASTOR   AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

field  of  his  labor  and  descends  as  far  as  possible 
to  every  detail  of  his  work. 

There  is  deadly  mildew  in  the  subsidiary 
taint.  The  scent  of  the  loaves  and  fishes  is  a  de- 
basing aroma  in  any  community.  When  once  a 
school  resorts  to  the  selfish  appeal  for  the  im- 
provement of  its  own  life  it  has  sown  seeds 
v/hose  obnoxious  fruits  will  never  be  exter- 
minated. I  do  not  plead  for  the  exclusion  of 
rewards  and  honors,  though  I  dread  even  them 
— dread  them  when  they  are  given  not  as  baits  to 
newcomers,  but  as  gracious  testimonials  to  the 
children  for  unusual  efforts.  There  is  in  some 
schools  the  power  to  sanctify  the  secondary  ap- 
peal and  make  it  a  means  of  grace. 

I  knew  a  school  which  offered  a  prize  in  gold 
to  the  one  who  brought  in  the  largest  number  of 
scholars  during  the  year.  It  was  won  for  many 
successive  years  by  the  same  man,  a  workman  in 
a  railroad  shop.  He  was  a  poor  man,  with  stint- 
ed income,  had  a  family  and  rented  his  house, 
and  not  robust.  He  always  appeared  at  the  an- 
niversary and  claimed  his  five  dollar  piece.  Ah, 
hear  the  rest,  it  is  good  to  tell.  He  held  that 
money  as  an  extra  kindness  from  the  Lord,  too 
sacred  in  his  view  for  common  use,  and  always 
at  the  moment  of  receiving  it  he  publicly  donated 
to  some  benevolent  or  missionary  object.  It 
was  his  artful  method  of  sanctifying  the  reward 
system  in  the  school,  and  it  extinguished  the  very 


THE   PASTOR  ABROAD.  QQ 

temptation  to  seek  to  build  up  the  school  by  self- 
ish appeals.  His  example  was  a  divine  con- 
tagion. 

There  are  some  Christian  organizations  whose 
views  as  to  their  duty  as  propagandists  lead  them 
to  play  upon  the  baser  motives.  They  put  honest 
people  at  disadvantage  by  methods  which  they  in 
conscience  can  not  employ.  They  buy  our  own 
before  our  eyes  and  carry  them  off.  Truly  a  cut- 
ting piece  of  trickery  which  we  can  not  imitate 
though  we  have  the  refreshing  right  to  despise  it. 
We  may  also  with  aggressive  jealousy  seek  to 
guard  our  young  from  the  contaminating  power 
of  the  selfish  appeal. 

Here  is  one  of  the  most  dangerous  evils 
against  which  some  churches  have  to  fight,  for 
while  it  puts  an  enemy  in  front  of  us  to  be  fought 
it  exposes  us  to  his  potent  insinuations.  It  takes 
the  ringing  honesty  of  a  pastor  to  keep  his  people 
honest  along  this  track  of  peril. 

It  is  one  of  the  charms  of  existence  that  inter- 
esting objects  have  the  power  of  multiplying  their 
attractions  by  turning  various  sides  to  us.  The 
mountain,  the  landscape  or  the  masterpiece  do 
not  confine  us  to  one  point  of  observation.  Every 
angle  of  vision  reveals  new  beauties.  I  account 
the  Christian  pastor  as  one  of  the  most  interesting 
and  impressive  objects  upon  which  mankind  are 
called  to  look.  A  man  with  God's  commission 
written  in  living  letters  upon  his  soul,  separated 
from  common  things  except  so  far  as  they  nerve 


lOO  THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

him  for  his  task,  and  living  avowedly  the  life  he 
lives  at  the  command  of  Christ  the  Son  of  God. 

From  many  standpoints  he  comes  in  sight,  and 
see  him  where  we  may  he  is  a  striking  figure 
among  men.  Look  at  him  as  he  enters  his  office, 
— not  to  contend  in  the  traffic  of  men — not  for 
money,  but  to  ponder  the  word  of  God  and  fill  his 
mouth  with  a  message  of  life  for  men.  See  him 
as  he  shuts  his  door,  shutting  the  world  out  and 
himself  in  with  God  that  he  may  seek  instruction 
concerning  the  business  committed  to  his  hands. 
Mark  him  as  he  ascends  his  pulpit,  laden  with 
his  message,  tense  with  anxiety,  and  yet  full  of 
modest  courage. 

But  nowhere  is  the  pastor  more  pleasant  to 
behold  than  when  we  catch  sight  of  him  as,  quit- 
ting his  closet,  dropping  book  and  pen,  parting 
from  family  and  company,  he  sallies  forth  to  see 
the  people.  As  the  King's  messenger  he  goes, 
and  he  makes  us  think  of  him  who  received  sin- 
ners and  ate  with  them,  of  whom  it  was  said  that 
the  common  people  heard  him  gladly.  Let  him  go 
in  clouds  or  when  the  sky  is  blue,  let  him  cross 
stream  and  mountain,  enter  hut  and  mansion, 
meet  great  and  small,  old  and  young,  good  and 
bad.  Sorrow  and  sin  may  meet  him  on  the  way 
and  cry  for  pity  and  fill  his  face  with  weeping 
as  he  goes,  but  stop  him  not,  cheer  him  on,  at- 
tend him  with  love  and  hope,  for  doubtless  he 
shall  come  again  in  joy,  bringing  his  sheaves  with 
him. 


THE   PULl'lT  AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  101 

LECTURE  IV. 

THE  PULPIT  AND  THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

A  hopeful  feature  of  the  present  time  is  the 
earnest  intelligence  with  which  our  leaders  dis- 
cuss living  problems.  They  have  learned  to  in- 
spect actual  situations  with  skillful  scrutiny,  and 
to  determine  on  the  needed  treatment.  This 
power  of  adjustment  is  essential  wisdom  and  is 
to  be  urgently  sought  after  by  those  who  com- 
mand our  Christian  movements.  It  is  often 
charged  that  in  this,  as  in  some  other  respects,  the 
children  of  this  world  are  wiser  in  their  genera- 
tion than  the  children  of  light.  Christian  men 
are  possibly  wiser  in  other  generations  than  are 
the  children  of  the  world,  but  that  will  not  do. 
We  are  expected  by  our  Lord  to  be  wiser  in  our 
own  generation,  this  very  time,  than  any  other 
people  on  the  earth. 

There  is  at  this  time  at  least  one  problem  be- 
fore the  Christian  world  which  it  has  not  solved, 
and  does  not  seem  to  know  how  to  solve.  I  can 
not  contend  that  it  is  a  new  perplexity,  for  that 
would  not  be  true,  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  it  was 
never  so  acute  and  bewildering  as  it  now  is.  I 
refer  to  the  question  as  to  how  the  material  han- 
dled in  our  Sunday-schools  is  to  be  successfully 
transferred  into  the  place  for  congregational  wor- 


102  THE   PASTOR  AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

ship.  The  Sunday-school  and  the  congregation 
are  two  distinct  assembUes,  as  of  course  to  some 
extent  they  must  always  necessarily  be,  but  not  to 
the  extent  of  practical  alienation,  which  now  al- 
most exists.  The  portentous  fact,  so  apparent 
almost  everywhere,  is  that  the  bulk  of  the  chil- 
dren seen  in  the  Sunday-schools  are  absent  from 
the  congregation.  Not  only  is  this  true,  but  of 
late  more  marked  than  ever  before.  Many  of  the 
older  scholars,  some  of  the  teachers,  and  now  and 
then  some  of  the  officers  of  the  school  are  ob- 
served to  abscond  just  as  the  people  are  assem- 
bling for  worship.  A  certain  fastidious  and  nerv- 
ous class  of  our  Sunday  workers  hesitate  not  to 
declare  that  they  can  not  endure  the  wear  and 
tear  of  both  services,  and  with  no  apparent  com- 
punction they  choose  the  Sunday-school  and  omit 
the  sermon.  What  is  yet  more  serious,  if  possible, 
is  the  fact  that  the  scores  of  children  who  come 
to  the  school  scamper  away  in  uproarious  glee 
from  the  place  where  the  minister  is  to  preach 
and  the  church  is  to  worship. 

This  bare  statement,  with  no  tinge  of  exag- 
geration, is  amply  enough  to  arrest  attention.  It 
unveils  a  condition  distressing  in  itself  and  stead- 
ily growing.  It  casts  a  shadow  over  the  church, 
depopulates  the  congregation  and  forces  us  to  ask 
what  is  to  be  the  source  from  which  we  are  to 
draw  our  congregations  in  the  future?  If  I  may 
not  safely  say  that  the  Sunday-school  has  been 


THE   PULPIT   AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  I03 

exalted  into  a  rival  of  the  church,  with  its  organ- 
ized worship,  it  has  at  least  become  a  substitute 
for  it.  It  almost  tempts  us  to  frame  a  new  defi- 
nition of  the  Sunday-school  as  an  institution 
whose  tendency,  if  not  its  purpose,  is  fa  train 
the  children  to  neglect  public  worship.  I  am  re- 
minded of  the  old  time  quadrangular  two-story 
houses  of  worship  which  were  formerly  erected 
in  our  towns  with  a  room  for  the  children  in  the 
cellar,  and  a  far  better  place  for  the  congrega- 
tion above,  but  with  no  possible  way  of  passing 
from  the  Sunday-school  room  into  the  audience 
chamber  without  first  going  out  and  taking  a 
look  at  the  infatuating  world.  Those  old  struc- 
tures always  had  a  suggestion  that  public  worship 
was  far  above  the  children's  heads  and  that  they 
were  not  expected  to  have  anything  to  do  with  it. 

It  becomes  us  in  treating  this  subject  to  be 
perfectly  frank  and  fair.  There  are  things  to  be 
taken  into  account  on  both  sides. 

For  one  thing,  we  must  not  ignore  the  argu- 
ment of  the  overstrain.  If  we  are  appalled  by 
the  fact  that  so  many  of  our  children  entirely 
neglect  worship,  we  must  not  forget  that  in 
former  times  other  children  by  being  imprisoned 
in  both  services  contracted  an  aversion  to  the 
place  of  worship  which  they  could  never  con- 
quer. 

The  two  services  usually  cover  about  three 
hours,  without  any  appreciable  interval.       W^ 


I04  THE    PASTOR   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

know  that  the  little  children  are  naturally  eager 
to  reach  the  Sunday-school,  often  coming  before 
the  exercises  begin,  sometimes  without  breakfast. 
They  join  joyously  in  the  opening  services,  then 
pass  into  their  classes,  go  through  the  lessons, 
and  as  a  rule  return  to  the  final  exercises  of  the 
school.  Now  to  hurry  them  into  the  place  of 
worship  without  relaxation,  without  even  a  whiff 
of  fresh  air,  and  confine  them  through  a  length- 
ened schedule  of  services  far  too  grave  and  ad- 
vanced for  them,  and  to  forbid  them  a  nap,  a 
whisper,  a  cup  of  cold  water  or  even  a  ginger 
snap  is  a  tax  upon  human  nature  which  it  will 
not  always  willingly  endure. 

And  yet  it  is  possible  that  these  prolonged 
exercises  may  be  made  agreeable  and  profitable 
to  children,  provided  the  effort  is  faithfully  sus- 
tained by  the  parents  and  leaders  of  the  school. 
We  know  that  the  primary  departments  of  our 
day  schools  in  many  cases  cover  three  hours,  and 
in  factories  and  other  places  where  children  are 
employed  the  hours  of  labor  comprise  most  of 
the  entire  day,  and  that,  too,  in  uncomfortable 
rooms  and  with  little  change  of  position  or  work. 
This  view  of  the  matter  is  not  to  be  ignored  in  the 
study  of  the  problem  in  hand.  It  argues  some- 
thing wrong  somewhere  when  religion  comes  to 
be  regarded  as  a  hardship. 

Another  view  of  the  subject  must  be  consid- 
ered.    The  popular  notion  of  worship  is  inade- 


THE   PULPIT  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  lOg 

quate.  We  have  no  right  to  restrict  our  concep- 
tion of  worship  to  any  single  place  or  situation. 
Wherever  there  is  a  devout  soul  freighted  with 
tributes  of  gratitude  or  adoration  for  God,  it  may 
present  it  at  any  time  or  place.  True  worship  is 
unconfined  and  pleasing  to  the  Lord  no  matter 
when  it  comes. 

Besides,  we  ought  to  be  outright  in  our  advo- 
cacy of  worship  in  the  Sunday-school.  It  should 
be  plainly  presented  to  the  children  as  the  per- 
vasive life  and  atmosphere  of  the  occasion.  They 
ought  to  understand  that  when  they  sing  the  Sun- 
day-school song  that  is  worship ;  when  the  Word 
of  God  is  read  that  is  worship ;  when  prayer  is 
offered  that  is  worship;  when  the  offering  is 
made  that  is  worship;  when  the  lesson  is  taught 
and  received  that  is  worship,  and  that  even  the 
benediction  is  worship.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed 
that  the  children  can  not  learn  to  worship,  or 
can  not  render  acceptable  worship  without  at- 
tending the  great  congregation.  We  must  give 
the  little  ones  the  credit  for  worship,  though  they 
may  do  nothing  but  shout  their  noisy  hosannas 
to  the  Son  of  David,  and  that  in  a  way  that  may 
shock  the  prim  and  mumbling  formalists. 

And  yet  after  these  concessions  we  are  face 
to  face  with  the  burning  issue.  We  can  not  sur- 
render the  idea  that  the  children  ought  to  wor- 
ship with  the  grown  up  people.  The  separation 
is  unnatural.     They  need  their  sobering  and  en- 


I06  THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

lightening  presence.  They  need  to  form  the 
habit  of  coming  with  the  church  to  the  throne  of 
grace.  The  fact  that  Jesus  went  to  worship  when 
he  was  twelve,  and  had  to  go  many  miles  on  foot 
for  that  purpose  is  in  itself  a  lesson  on  this  sub- 
ject which  we  can  not  forget.  Then,  too,  we 
know  too  well  that  if  the  children  grow  up  in  the 
neglect  of  public  worship  it  will  be  next  to  impos- 
sible ever  to  train  them  to  take  it  up  afterwards. 
It  is  of  paramount  importance  that  children 
be  taught  to  go  to  the  house  of  the  Lord  when 
they  are  young.  There  is  nothing  else  that  we 
can  rightly  put  as  a  substitute  for  that.  Then 
what  can  we  do  to  meet  the  danger  which  con- 
fronts us?  The  effort  of  this  lecture  will  be  to 
assist  in  answering  this  almost  unanswerable 
question. 

I.  It  has  been  hinted  that  one  way  of  simpli- 
fying the  situation  would  be  to  abolish  the  Sun- 
day-school. This  has  indeed  been  gravely  advo- 
cated in  some  quarters.  It  has  been  strongly 
maintained  that  the  evil  wrought  by  the  Sunday- 
school  in  practically  divorcing  the  young  from 
the  sermon,  with  its  attendant  services,  greatly 
overbalances  any  benefits  which  the  school  alone 
can  possibly  confer.  To  many  devout  and  con- 
scientious friends  of  God  it  has  come  as  an  alter- 
native as  to  whether  it  is  better  to  have  the  chil- 
dren in  the  school  and  out  of  the  congregational 
worship,  or  to  have  them  in  the  worship  and  out 


THE  PULPIT  AND  THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  I07 

of  the  school.  If  this  becomes  the  issue  and  it  is 
found  that  there  can  be  no  reconciUation  between 
the  two,  then  we  may  feel  quite  assured  that  not 
a  few  godly,  home-loving,  worshipful  people  will 
surrender  the  school.  Indeed,  there  are  some 
who  already  have  made  their  final  choice,  which 
has  resulted  in  a  withdrawal  of  their  children 
from  the  Sunday-school  with  the  conviction  that 
they  must  have  them  with  them  at  public  wor- 
ship. 

This  view  of  the  subject  has  not  been  intro- 
duced for  approval,  nor  yet  for  unlimited  censure. 
It  is  rather  mentioned  as  a  symptom  of  the  grav- 
ity of  the  problem  under  consideration.  It  has 
become  necessary  to  deal  with  the  question  as  to 
whether,  in  order  to  bring  up  our  children  to  at- 
tend public  worship,  we  will  have  to  abolish  the 
Sunday-school. 

I  do  not  stay  to  express  an  opinion,  much  less 
to  build  an  argument,  in  favor  of  the  Sunday- 
school.  For  missionary  purposes  as  well  as  for 
the  instruction  of  the  children  of  the  ignorant  In 
our  churches,  we  must  have  the  Sunday-school. 
Indeed,  with  the  best  instruction  that  our  Chris- 
tian homes  can  give  their  children,  there  is  an 
evident  need  for  the  supplemental  and  more  or- 
derly instruction  which  is  found  in  the  school. 
The  way  to  meet  the  emergency  which  we  are 
discussing  is  not  found  in  the  destruction  of  the 
school.     Soniething  must  be  done,  but  that  thing 


I08  THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

we  all  agree  is  not  the  sweeping  out  of  existence 
of  the  most  potent  method  of  evangelization  yet 
produced  by  the  wisdom  of  the  Christian  world. 

2.  In  some  parts  of  the  world  it  has  been  at- 
tempted to  dispose  of  the  difficulty  by  changing 
the  order  of  things  —  putting  the  Sunday-school 
after  the  congregational  meeting  instead  of  before 
it.  The  argument  has  seemed  to  be  that  by  plac- 
ing the  graver,  more  ponderous  service  first  the 
children  might  be  induced  to  participate  in  both. 
But  the  facts  do  not  sustain  the  contention. 
Where  this  reverse  in  the  order  of  the  two  serv- 
ices has  been  introduced,  practically  the  same  re- 
sult follows  as  before.  The  children  cut  the 
public  worship  and  come  only  in  time  for  the 
Sunday-school,  and  the  older  people,  just  as  be- 
fore, attend  the  congregation  worship  and  fly  at 
the  coming  of  the  children. 

Spurgeon,  who  was  more  wonderful  as  a  pas- 
tor than  a  preacher,  had  a  room  adjacent  to  his 
tabernacle  in  which  the  children  met  in  a  service 
corresponding  to  the  usual  congregational  wor- 
ship, with  the  difference  that  the  exercises  were 
shaped  to  the  capacity  of  the  children,  and  of 
course  were  shorter.  This  might  be  wisely 
adopted  in  other  places  provided  there  is  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  children  to  constitute  an  audi- 
ence, and  provided  also  suitable  accommodations 
can  be  secured  for  that  purpose^  and  provided  yet 
further  that  ministers  can  be  secured  who  are 


THE  PULPIT  AND  THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  IO9 

fitted  for  such  services,  a  thing  which  seems  to  be 
rarely  true  of  our  ministers. 

But  if  this  arrangement  could  be  adopted 
everywhere,  it  would  be  defective  in  one  most 
important  particular.  If  separate  worship  was 
adopted  it  would  practically  alienate  the  children 
from  the  church  in  its  worship.  This  would  be 
a  mistake  whose  disastrous  effects  could  hardly 
be  overestimated.  Everything  ought  to  be  done 
to  honor  the  church,  and  the  children  ought  to 
consider  it  an  honor  and  a  privilege  to  go  into  the 
house  of  God  and  worship  with  the  people  of 
God. 

It  is  fatally  unfortunate  for  children  to  imbibe 
the  notion  that  they  are  Sunday-school  children 
and  not  church  going  children.  This  will  serve  to 
weaken  the  tie  which  binds  them  to  the  church, 
and  when  they  grow  up  and  cease  to  attend  Sun- 
day-school they  will  have  nothing  left  to  hold 
them  from  drifting.  They  ought  to  be  imbued 
with  reverence  for  the  church,  as  a  creation  of 
Christ,  designed  to  be  the  home  of  his  children. 

As  already  hinted,  we  may  be  sure  that  if  we 
allow  children  to  form  the  habit  of  absence  from 
the  worship  of  the  church  they  will  gradually  form 
associations  and  find  pleasures  which  will  after 
awhile  militate  against  all  efforts  to  bring  them 
to  the  place  of  worship.  It  is  a  ruinous  blunder 
to  allow  the  wicked  one  to  have  the  first  chance, 
to  take  possession  of  the  young  heart,  to  sow  the 


no  THE  PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

seeds  of  evil  first,  and  to  give  the  gospel  only  the 
second  chance  for  winning  the  soul. 

3.  How,  then,  can  we  hope  to  improve  the 
present  condition  of  things?  A  few  things  we 
may  answer  affirmatively  in  favor  of  lessening  if 
not  of  removing^  the  difficulties. 

(i)  There  must  be  adequate  and  proper  in- 
struction at  home.  In  no  scheme  looking  to  the 
welfare  of  children  can  we  leave  the  home  out  of 
the  account.  It  is  certain  that  the  Lord  will 
never  regard  with  grace  any  effort  for  the  thor- 
ough Christian  development  of  children  which 
overlooks  the  part  that  the  home  is  to  play  in  it. 
It  is  to  be  gravely  apprehended  that  one  incidental 
and  unintended  result  of  the  Sunday-school  move- 
ment has  been  in  numberless  cases  to  weaken  the 
religious  power  of  the  family.  This  has  not 
arisen  from  any  collision  as  to  the  doctrines 
taught,  or  as  to  the  methods  pursued  in  the  home 
and  the  school.  It  grows  out  of  the  fact  that  in 
the  nature  of  the  case  there  comes  divided  instruc- 
tion and  divided  authority.  This  must  tell  in 
many  ways. 

Another  serious  aspect  of  the  case  is  that  chil- 
dren have  their  religious  privileges  at  one  hour 
and  the  parents  at  another.  It  is  one  of  the 
alarming  sights  of  the  Christian  Sabbath  to  see 
fathers  and  mothers  moving  quietly  to  the  house 
of  God  while  their  children  are  dashing  home- 
ward from  the  school.     This  is  inherently  incon- 


THE   PULPIT  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  Ill 

gruous  and  unnatural,  and  must  tell  unfavorably 
on  the  cause  of  Christ  in  the  future.  It  is  a  sor- 
rowful picture  and  should  stir  every  thoughtful 
mind  with  concern.  Christian  parents  often  sep- 
arate from  their  children  on  the  Lord's  day  at  the 
breakfast  table,  or  even  before,  and  never  really 
meet  them  again  until  they  meet  at  dinner.  This 
separation  is  deplorable  and  ought  to  be  broken 
up ;  it  bodes  no  good  for  the  church  nor  for  the 
children. 

I  abhor  the  role  of  the  alarmist  and  yet  it 
seems  to  me  that  there  is  of  late  an  evident  re- 
laxation of  parental  authority  in  the  religious 
training  of  children.  It  is  to  be  feared  that  fa- 
thers and  mothers  need  to  be  reminded  again  of 
their  inborn,  untransferable  responsibility  for  the 
religious  character  of  their  children.  It  is  their 
work  to  see  to  their  instruction,  to  form  their 
habits  of  study,  and  to  determine  the  manner  in 
which  they  spend  the  Lord's  day.  Do  I  go  too 
far  in  the  intimation  that  there  is  a  looseness  and 
recklessness  in  the  handling  of  children  which  did 
not  once  exist  among  godly  parents  ?  A  danger- 
ous liberty  is  granted  to  children  which  often  re- 
sults in  their  alienation  from  the  house  of  God. 
It  is  growing  to  be  a  trivial  fault  in  many  quar- 
ters for  boys  and  girls  to  stay  away  from  the 
house  of  the  Lord.  They  easily  learn  to  think 
that  it  is  a  trick  of  smartness  not  to  go  to  church, 
and  parents  let  them  have  their  way. 


fl2  THE   PASTOR  AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

But  who  is  to  bring  the  reformation?  Who 
is  to  reorganize  Christian  families,  teach  fathers 
that  they  are  the  reHgious  heads  of  their  famihes, 
teach  them  what  instructions  they  must  give  their 
children  within  their  own  gates,  teach  them  that 
if  their  children  go  to  the  Sunday-school  to  study 
the  Scriptures  that  they  ought  to  go  with  them, 
teach  them  that  they  are  the  spiritual  custodians  of 
their  children  and  are  required  to  bring  them  up 
in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord?  It 
sheds  a  new  dignity  upon  the  ministerial  office 
for  the  pastor  to  know  that  he  has  this  noble  serv- 
ice to  render  to  the  families  of  his  charge,  and 
let  him  not  shrink  from  his  duty.  The  pastor 
who  establishes  families  in  the  faith  of  God  and 
stimulates  them  to  mould  their  children  for  the 
duties  of  citizens  and  for  Christian  living  does  the 
highest  type  of  service  for  his  Lord  and  Master. 

When  that  happy  era  of  godliness  and  fidelity 
has  begun  in  our  families,  one  of  its  highest  re- 
sults will  be  attendance  upon  public  worship. 
The  sharpest  part  of  the  battle  is  to  be  fought 
within  the  family  gate,  and  when  won  there,  there 
will  be  easy  victory  everywhere  else.  But  what 
a  conflict  is  to  be  waged  in  many  homes.  If  there 
is  trouble  with  Christian  families  about  their  chil- 
dren attending  the  house  of  God,  what  is  to  be 
done  about  the  Christless  families?  In  many 
cases  the  fathers  and  mothers  do  not  go  to  the 
worship  or  teach  their  children  to  go;  often,  in- 


THE   PULPIT   AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  II3 

deed,  they  allow  and  even  require  them  not  to  go. 
What  a  fearful  perplexity  is  this!  Who  can 
meet  it?  Nobody,  it  seems  to  me,  except  the 
pastor. 

(2)  But  to  this  family  influence  must  be  add- 
ed the  best  organized  sentiment  and  co-opera- 
tion of  the  Sunday-school.  It  is  to  be  regretted 
that  there  be  many  yet  who  do  not  understand 
the  relation  between  the  church  and  the  Sunday- 
school,  and  some  insist  on  believing  that  they  are 
absolutely  separate  and  ought  to  be  kept  apart. 
In  not  a  few  cases  the  trouble  Is  with  the  church. 
It  stiffly  separates  itself  from  the  school,  and 
often  by  its  offensive  legislation,  and  yet  oftener 
by  a  policy  of  non-support,  criticism  and  antago- 
nism, it  engenders  strife  and  bitterness  in  the 
school.  By  all  means  the  church  ought  to  be  the 
mother,  the  pride,  the  lover,  the  support  and  joy 
of  the  school.  There  ought  not  to  be  a  breath  of 
jealousy  or  contention  between  the  two.  Indeed, 
it  ought  always  to  be  apparent,  and  always  cor- 
dially agreed  that  the  church  is  the  Sunday-school 
and  the  Sunday-school  the  church,  and  they  are 
knit  in  inseparable  union  by  the  ties  which  bind 
the  mother  and  her  child  together. 

It  has  to  be  confessed  that  the  attitude  of  the 
Sunday-school  toward  the  church  is  not  always 
becoming.  Where  the  more  progressive  and 
self-assertive  portion  of  the  church  is  engaged  in 
the  Sunday-school  it  frequently  happens  that  the 


114  THE   PASTOR   AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

school  assumes  a  superior  and  contemptuous  at- 
titude towards  the  church.  Now  and  then  nar- 
row and  sensitive  men  get  the  headship  of  the 
Sunday-school  and  they  come  to  cross  terms  with 
the  church.  They  do  things  without  the  consent 
of  the  church,  interfere  with  the  established  cus- 
toms and  services  of  the  church,  and  allow  and 
even  encourage  the  school  in  its  discourtesies  to- 
wards the  church.  No  man  who  is  capable  of 
fostering  distrust  or  contention  between  the 
church  and  the  Sunday-school  is  worthy  of  any 
position  in  the  school  or  anywhere  else.  He  is  an 
enemy  to  good  order  and  a  breeder  of  family 
strife. 

It  is  to  be  deplored,  too,  that  sometimes  this 
spirit  of  resentment,  of  ill  will  towards  the  church 
appears  among  the  teachers,  and  by  their  indiscre- 
tion the  spirit  is  made  to  descend  and  spread 
among  the  children.  This  is  simply  horrible. 
How  can  we  ever  expect  a  child  to  grow  up  to  be 
a  loyal  and  happy  member  of  the  church  if  in  its 
youth  it  is  allowed  to  breathe  an  atmosphere 
which  is  hostile  to  the  church.  It  must  be  added 
that  often  in  those  cases  where  there  are  no  open 
ruptures  there  is  apathy  between  the  school  and 
the  church.  We  have  seen  one-sided  men  who 
could  see  no  part  that  they  as  superintendents 
ought  to  play  towards  the  church.  They  simply 
left  the  church  out — they  ignored  it,  and  so  far  as 
they  were  concerned  a  stranger  would  not  know 


THE  PULPIT  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  II5 

theie  was  a  church  in  the  case.  It  is  a  pity  and 
a  curse  for  any  church  to  have  in  charge  of  its 
school  men  of  this  stubborn  and  inflexible  stupid- 
ity— men  who  think  that  they  are  to  run  the  school 
and  the  pastor  is  to  run  the  church,  and  they  must 
stand  on  the  frigid  edges  of  courtesy  towards 
each  other. 

Here  again  comes  in  the  pastor.  He  must  come 
in  everywhere,  for  he  is  needed  at  all  points,  and 
must  be  in  command  on  all  occasions.  When  he 
arrives  at  the  throne  of  his  mastery,  when  he  real- 
ly becomes  the  pastor,  in  the  richest  sense  of  lead- 
ership, then  he  can  sweep  away  this  friction  be- 
tween the  school  and  the  church.  He  will  see 
that  no  man  becomes  a  superintendent  who  is 
more  of  a  Sunday-school  man  than  he  is  a  church 
man,  or  who  is  a  Sunday-school  man  at  all  ex- 
cept so  far  as  he  is  a  church  man.  Nor  will  he 
allow  any  measure  to  be  incorporated  into  the 
policy  of  the  school  that  is  in  the  least  unfriendly 
to  the  authority  or  the  honor  of  the  church.  He 
must  see  that  the  church  is  treated  respectfully. 
This  statement  is  made  with  full  knowledge  of  the 
fact  that  in  some  cases  all  of  the  best  elements  of 
the  church  are  found  in  the  school,  and  that  only 
the  jagged  and  unprogressive  fragments  stand 
apart  from  the  school  and  seek  to  retard  its  ad- 
vancement. This  is  deplorable  enough  and  hard 
to  bear.  An  obstructive  and  worthless  knot  of 
church  members  who  hinder  the  work  of  the  Sun- 


Il6  THE   PASTOR  AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

day-school  is  a  hideous  thing  to  contend  with, 
and  much  worse  to  try  to  love.  And  yet  we  must 
guard  our  ideal  of  the  gospel  church,  stand  things 
which  we  can  not  at  once  correct  and  wait  for 
another  generation  composed  of  those  who  have 
been  trained  in  the  school,  and  who  will  know  its 
needs  and  will  see  that  they  are  regarded. 

Whether  elected  formally  or  not  by  the  church 
a  superintendent  ought  to  think  of  himself  dis- 
tinctively as  a  servant  of  the  church,  and  meet 
every  duty  with  a  heart  full  of  affection  and  loy- 
alty for  the  church.  This  we  feel  is  the  only 
thing  to  be  done.  The  church  is  not  a  saving  in- 
stitution nor  are  all  who  come  into  it  saved,  as 
we  know  too  well,  but  after  all  the  church  is  a 
creation  of  grace,  its  picture  hangs  in  the  gallery 
of  gospel  history,  and  it  has  a  transcendent  and 
sublime  mission  on  earth,  While  marked  by  hu- 
man imperfections  the  church  wears  about  it  the 
lineaments  of  divine  wisdom.  It  deserves  the 
love  of  every  friend  of  Christ.  It  is  the  organized 
testimony  of  the  community  in  favor  of  Christ, 
the  family  room  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  the 
most  powerful  organization  for  bringing  the 
world  to  the  feet  of  the  conquering  Son  of  God. 
That  is  the  best  pastor  who  can  most  closely  and 
effectively  impress  his  people  with  their  duty  to 
Christ  and  his  church.  He  often  finds  it  an 
arduous  task. 

The  Sunday-school  is   one  phase   of  church 


THE  PULPIT  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  II7 

activity,  perhaps  the  most  effective  of  all,  for  it 
deals  with  the  inestimably  important  work  of 
teaching  the  Scriptures  to  the  people.  But  this 
is  a  department  of  Christian  labor  which  we  must 
not  think  of  apart  from  the  church  itself.  It 
must  be  done  in  full  accordance  with  the  prin- 
ciples on  which  the  church  is  established.  It 
must  be  done  with  the  distinct  purpose  of  first 
bringing  the  people  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  the 
gospel  and  then  of  leading  them  into  the  fellow- 
ship and  service  of  the  church.  To  this  teachers 
should  devote  their  best  thought.  They  must 
build  towards  the  church,  build  with  direct  refer- 
ence to  its  strength,  unity  and  efficiency,  other- 
wise we  may  feel  sure  in  advance  that  their  labors 
will  not  bring  satisfactory  or  permanent  results. 
No  Sunday-school  which  lacks  reverence  and  obe- 
dience to  the  church  deserves  support.  It  deserves 
correction  and  reformation.  It  must  be  saved  if 
possible,  not,  however,  at  the  expense  but  for  the 
sake  of  the  church.  It  is  a  matter  of  the  profound- 
est  consideration  that  we  shall  have  the  church 
properly  presented  to  the  people — to  all,  old  and 
young.  They  need  to  know  its  history  and  to 
cherish  its  honor.  They  must  know  of  the  divin- 
ity of  its  origin,  its  authority,  its  pre-eminence  in 
rank,  and  its  great  and  gracious  part  in  the  econ- 
omy of  God's  kingdom.  The  young  ought  to  be 
taught  to  revere  the  church,  to  maintain  its  doc- 
trines, its  enterprises  and  its  fellowship. 


Il8  THE   PASTOR   AND    THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

Its  laws  and  ordinances  must  be  explained, 
not  in  a  fierce  and  controversial  temper,  but  so- 
berly and  clearly.  These  are  things  which  the 
children  can  be  made  to  understand,  and  if  bright- 
ly unfolded  to  them  they  will  be  deeply  interest- 
ed. So,  too,  the  young  will  prove  responsive  to 
instruction  as  to  missions,  charities  and  church 
support  provided  they  have  good  teaching. 

All  of  these  things  will  increase  the  esteem  of 
the  young  people  for  the  church.  They  will 
awaken  in  their  warm  souls  a  zeal  at  once  sincere, 
pliable  and  always  at  command.  At  no  point  can 
a  pastor  put  in  his  energy  to  better  advantage 
than  right  here.  And  you  may  rest  assured  that 
where  this  is  done  it  will  tell.  Labor  spent  upon 
the  old  goes  for  little.  From  them  we  may  not 
expect  marked  changes  in  their  character  or  in 
their  forms  of  activity.  They  are  fixed  and  their 
diay  is  past.  But  when  once  we  can  organize 
and  stimulate  the  youthful  forces  of  the  church 
there  is  life,  fresh,  aggressive,  courageous  life, 
and  it  will  carry  forward  the  church  in  every 
holy  direction  and  enterprise.  With  this  spirit  in 
the  church  there  will  be  no  tempestuous  revivals, 
no  unhallowed  devices  for  forcing  results,  and 
no  overstrainng  methods  for  working  up  shallow 
successes.  In  a  church  of  this  character  there 
will  be  a  charm  which  will  hold  the  young  and 
bring  others.  There  is  a  moral  majesty  and 
magnetism  in  a  body  of  young  people  who  are  un- 


THE   PULPIT   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  II9 

Stained  with  the  world,  linked  together  for  high 
purposes,  and  animated  by  the  love  of  Christ. 
This  is  what  every  living,  growing,  staying  pas- 
tor will  have  in  his  church  if  you  give  him  time. 
(3)  We  need  most  urgently  to  clarify  the 
young  people's  views  of  worship.  Perhaps  I 
ought  to  say  first  of  all  on  this  point,  that  we  need 
to  clarify  the  views  of  our  churches  as  to  the  re- 
lation of  our  young  to  congregational  worship. 
To  a  stranger  entering  some  of  our  places  of 
worship  it  would  appear  that  the  church  had  no 
thought  as  to  the  worship  of  the  young.  They 
are  not  counted  in.  They  are  not  treated  as  wor- 
shippers. They  are  often  pushed  out  and  back 
for  the  accommodation  of  older  people  until  they 
are  grouped  far  from  the  pulpit.  Some  times 
they  are  absolutely  hustled  out  of  the  house  in 
case  of  crowds,  as  if  they  were  of  no  importance 
and  had  no  rights  nor  duties,  and  as  if  it  was  the 
royal  proof  of  gallantry  to  give  seats  to  late  com- 
ing women  even  though  it  involved  the  making 
heathen  of  the  children.  They  are  given  no  rec- 
ognition, have  no  place  they  can  call  their  own, 
no  hymn  books  are  furnished  them,  nothing  done 
to  Interest  them  In  the  worship,  and  if  they  for 
the  lack  of  something  else  to  do,  whisper  or  prank 
or  scuffle  with  each  other,  they  are  dealt  with  as 
offenders,  branded  as '  outlaws  and  threatened 
with  punishment  at  home  or  at  the  hands  of  the 
law,  and  even  at  the  bar  of  God.     Oh,  Christian 


120  THE   PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

men,  the  worst  heathen  on  the  earth  could  not 
treat  their  children  with  more  barbarous  cruelty. 
Few  of  them  would  turn  their  temples  into  places 
for  crippling  the  religious  feelings  and  convic- 
tions of  the  young. 

Naturally  enough  children  in  hundreds  of  com- 
munities regard  churches  as  no  suitable  places 
for  them.  They  are  not  in  good  standing  with 
the  old  people ;  some  of  the  crusty  brethren  pray 
at  the  young  rather  than  for  them,  and  scowl  at 
them  as  if  they  were  jail  birds  and  felons.  The 
only  recognition  accorded  them  by  some  pastors 
is  on  occasions  of  misdemeanor,  and  then  only  in 
the  way  of  rebuke.  "The  disorder  of  the  boys" 
is  a  changeless  theme  in  some  churches.  Who 
made  them  so?  Answer,  will  you?  It  can  not 
be  surprising  that  the  most  dismal  spot  on  the 
earth  to  some  young  people  is  the  house  of  wor- 
ship, and  the  hour  for  that  service  is  the  most 
joyless  of  all  the  week.  It  is  heartrending  to 
reflect  that  at  the  point  where  most  of  all,  the 
young  most  need  to  bask  in  the  courtesy,  affec- 
tion and  encouragement  of  the  church,  they  often 
receive  the  most  stinging  neglect  if  not  the  most 
severe  and  caustic  criticism.  Little  wonder  that 
they  accumulate  an  almost  murderous  hostility 
towards  the  ushers  and  others  who  seem  to  con- 
spire to  accomplish  their  degradation.  Nor  must 
we  wonder  that  a  pastor  under  such  conditions 
becomes  in  their  eyes  the  embodiment  of  enmity 


THE   PULPIT   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  121 

and  ill-will  on  the  earth.  It  is  enough  to  fill  us 
with  anguish  to  think  of  uncounted  thousands  of 
our  boys,  and  our  girls  as  well,  who  have  been 
alienated  from  the  church  and  religion  forever  by 
this  stern  and  unsympathetic  treatment.  I  have 
seen  some  churches  in  which  Christ  seemed  never 
to  enter,  and  they  were  churches  which  made  no 
provision  for  the  comfort  and  worship  of  the 
children.  For  my  part  I  would  not  favor  the  at- 
tendance upon  the  services  of  worship  by  children 
under  such  circumstances  as  described  above. 
There  can  hardly  be  but  one  result,  and  that  of 
aversion,  deep-seated  and  fixed  against  every- 
thing that  bears  the  imprint  of  the  church.  Sure- 
ly we  have  no  right  while  making  the  house  of 
God  the  gate  of  heaven  for  the  strong  to  trans- 
form it  into  a  Bridge  of  Sighs  for  the  weak  and 
young.  We  ought  either  to  keep  them  away 
from  the  house  of  God  or  else  strive  to  make  the 
place  in  some  way  acceptable  and  profitable  to 
them.  Children  ought  not  to  be  forced  to  go  to 
church  simply  to  be  overlooked,  imprisoned  or 
rebuked. 

It  is  time  for  us  to  overhaul  things  and  see 
what  can  be  done.  We  may  be  sure  that  changes 
may  be  introduced  which,  while  in  no  degree  low- 
ermg  the  dignity  of  the  service,  will  afford  the 
younger  people  the  opportunity  of  taking  some 
part. 

I  do  not  raise  the  issue  as  to  the  capacity  of 


122  THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

children  for  worship.  Indeed,  we  must  readily 
admit  that  there  are  heights  and  depths  in  wor- 
ship which  children  may  not  reach.  Worship  is 
a  rare  and  unworldly  thing;  too  lofty  and  spirit- 
ual for  many  to  attain.  It  is  a  difficult  thing  to 
worship.  The  Son  of  God  represents  his  Fa- 
ther as  abroad  in  an  earnest  search  for  those  who 
worship  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  Even  the  most 
cultivated  and  the  most  experienced  of  worship- 
pers are  often  oppressed  with  the  sense  of  the 
insufficiency  of  their  worship,  and  we  need  not 
be  startled  if  the  young  stumble  and  blunder 
when  they  attempt  to  worship.  What  do  they 
know  about  worship?  How  can  they  know  un- 
less some  man  teach  them?  Not  that  we  may 
hope  to  teach  them  everything,  that  they  will  be- 
come experts  in  worship,  or  that  after  we  do  our 
utmost  we  will  have  no  more  to  correct  or  con- 
demn In  their  services. 

But  we  may  give  them  some  essential  hint, 
may  flash  into  their  impressible  young  hearts 
some  light  under  which  they  may  get  a  glimpse 
of  the  mercy  seat  where  Jesus  answers  prayer. 
We  may  bring  to  them  some  vision  of  the  won- 
derful grace  of  God  which  may  call  forth  from 
them  some  ejaculation  of  praise  and  gratitude. 
We  may  kindle  in  them  some  desire  to  express  in 
outward  form  their  obligation  to  the  Lord,  and 
lead  them  to  bring  something,  small  It  may  be, 
and  brought  possibly  with  mingled  reverence  and 


THE   PULPIT  AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  I23 

amusement. to  the  altar,  and  yet  that  will  be  wor- 
ship, we  may  hope,  pleasing  in  the  eye  of  the  gra- 
cious Father. 

Then,  too,  we  ought  to  study  more  honestly 
the  forms  and  exercises  of  worship  in  their  adap- 
tation to  children.  Of  course  they  may  be  inat- 
tentive and  dull  of  comprehension,  and  may  lose 
much  of  what  we  tell  them,  and  yet  it  may  put  a 
spark  of  holy  fire  on  the  altar  of  their  hearts,  may 
touch  their  reverence  or  at  least  may  set  their 
thoughts  to  running  in  the  upward  direction. 
That  will  be  something  for  a  child. 

Now,  some  deadly  literalist  will  possibly  assail 
me  with  the  question  as  to  the  capacity  of  uncon- 
v^erted  people  to  worship,  particularly  of  children. 
If  it  will  quiet  them  I  will  tell  them  plainly  that 
I  do  not  know  what  to  say.  I  can  not  invade  the 
domain  of  God's  secret  dealings  with  souls.  That 
is  out  of  sight  and  I  must  not  tug  at  the  curtain  to 
peep  through.  "  I  know  something,  however, 
about  conversion,  that  it  is  a  visible  thing,  subject 
to  the  scrutiny  of  my  senses,  and  concerning  some 
features  of  it  we  may  claim  to  be  capable  of  ex- 
pressing an  opinion.  But  of  that  other,  far  more 
fundamental  change,  God's  part,  which  we  call 
regeneration,  and  which  from  my  heart  I  believe 
in,  I  do  not  dare  to  speak.  That  is  beyond  me, 
and  the  Lord  Jesus  has  served  notice  that  we 
must  keep  our  hands  off.  It  looks  vulgar  and 
impertinent  for  men  to  be  blustering  around  when 


/124  THE    ^ASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHO'.'M.. 

children  are  seeking  to  worship  to  ask  whether 
they  have  been  converted.  That  is  a  qu'^'^ttan  for 
the  casuists,  and  let  them  be  at  their  fight  when 
they  will. 

For  my  life  I  can  not  begin  to  tell  whether  the 
children  that  thronged  around  Jesus  that  day  in 
the  temple  were  converted  or  not.  That  question 
was  not  started  by  Christ,  though  there  were 
some  fearfully  sour  and  querulous  people  pres- 
ent who  were  openly  suspicious  of  the  children; 
saw  only  disorder  in  their  conduct  and  for  the 
first,  and  I  dare  say  the  only  time  In  their  life, 
prayed  to  Jesus,  besought  Jesus  that  he  wou  '  --"all 
up  the  noisy  set,  box  their  ears  and  force  them  to 
shut  their  rattling  little  throats.  Indeed,  I  can 
not  dare  to  describe  the  measure  of  the  light 
which  those  children  had.  It  is  outside  of  my  in- 
formation. I  am  sure  that  they  were  limited  and 
imperfect  in  every  particular.  Ever  so  much  ig- 
norance and  impulsiveness  must  have  mingled 
with  an  outburst.  They  seemed  to  have  only 
one  sentence  to  say ;  it  was  the  sum  total  of  their 
formula  of  worship.  They  leaped  and  ran  and 
surged  about  the  Lord  and  cried  with  all  the 
power  of  their  little  voices,  Hosanna  to  the  Son 
of  David.  The  Master  failed  to  deliver  a  dis- 
course that  day  on  the  difference  between  regen- 
eration and  conversion  or  to  define  the  relation 
between  conversion  and  salvation.  These  are 
questions  for  profound  Investigation  at  the  propel. 


THE   PULPIT   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  I25 

time,  but  they  were  not  discussed  then  and  are 
not  to  be  treated  in  this  lecture.  All  I  know  is 
that  those  heartless  grumblers  about  the  conduct 
of  the  children  received  no  strain  of  sympathy 
from  the  Lord  Jesus.  He  did  give  them  a  little 
much  needed  instruction  concerning  the  Bible  in 
which  they  claimed  to  be  so  well  versed.  He 
took  them  back  into  the  Old  Testament  and 
showed  them  that  the  Lord  God  had  made  an 
ordinance  to  the  effect  that  out  of  babes  and  suck- 
lings should  come  acceptable  praise  to  God.  Do 
you  ask  what  that  meant?  I  bid  you  go  to  the 
word  itself  and  find  out.  It  is  enough  for  me 
that  Jesus  Christ  openly  and  in  the  face  of  criti- 
cism accepted  the  tribute  of  worship  which  the 
little  children  brought  him  in  the  temple  and  in 
the  light  of  that  fact  I  believe  in,  and  feel  it  my 
solemn  and  glorious  privilege  to  advocate  on  all 
occasions,  our  duty  to  teach  the  children  to  join 
heartily  in  the  worship  of  God.  This  I  have  al- 
ways done  as  a  pastor,  and  from  this  no  frigid 
theological  hair-splitter  shall  drive  me. 

From  this  platform  to-day  I  wave  my  love  and 
fellowship  to  Christian  teachers  and  ministers  in 
all  the  world  who  love  and  cheer  the  little  ones 
that  believe,  and  who  seek  to  uphold  them  in  their 
effort  to  shout  their  praises  into  the  ear  of  Jesus. 
May  the  condescending  Father  catch  every  whis- 
pering prayer  of  children,  every  song  which  rises 
from  their  bounding  hearts,  and  every  deed  of 


126  THE   PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

worship  they  do  and  blend  them  into  one  child- 
chorus  for  the  worship  of  God  upon  the  earth. 

Friends,  for  once  be  gracious  and  let  one  ten- 
der reminiscence  from  my  pastoral  life,  now 
closed  forever  I  suppose,  break  into  the  current 
of  this  lecture.  It  was  my  honor,  rarest  among 
the  few  that  ever  came,  that  for  twenty-six  years 
to  the  day  I  was  pastor  of  a  church  which  gave 
the  children  a  distinct  and  respectful  recognition. 
During  much  of  the  time  they  thronged  the  front 
and  corner  pews  of  my  church  and  were  nearest 
me  when  I  prayed  or  spoke.  In  the  hand  of  each 
of  them  was  placed  a  copy  of  the  hymns,  tunes 
were  chosen  which  they  could  sing,  and  for  that 
matter  in  a  little  while  they  could  sing  almost 
anything.  They  followed  the  reading  of  the 
Scripture  lessons  with  thoughtful  attention,  many 
of  them  having  their  own  Bibles,  and  truly  they 
were  among  my  best  listeners.  Oh,  they  were 
worshippers,  reverential,  still  before  God,  earnest 
in  prayer,  ready  with  their  offerings  and  eager 
to  honor  the  Lord.  Hundreds  of  them  are  on 
the  earth  to-day,  forward  in  service,  matured 
worshippers,  rearing  godly  families  and  helping 
to  bring  in  the  reign  of  Christ  and  some  of  them 
worshipping  in  the  temple  above. 

That  body  of  young  Christians  was  my  happi- 
ness ;  those  precious  lads,  never  absent  from  their 
meeting  without  cause  ;  they  had  no  engagements, 
no  journeys  to  make,  no  doubts  to  disturb  them. 


THE   PULPIT  AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  \T] 

and  they  were  a  constant  contribution  of  hope 
and  strength  to  my  ministry.  They  actually  filled 
me  with  awe  at  times  by  their  sincerity,  their  god- 
ly fear  and  their  readiness  to  do  whatever  was 
imposed  upon  them. 

(4)   It  remains  to  speak  of  the  sermon. 

We  ought  to  resent  any  attempt  to  eliminate 
the  sermon  from  the  congregational  worship. 
The  ritualist  is  continually  crowding  it  out,  run- 
ning a  service  so  tedious  and  exhausting  that  be- 
fore the  sermon  comes  to  its  opportunity  the  peo- 
ple and  the  reader  have  spent  their  strength,  and 
the  only  merit  of  the  sermon  is  its  brevity. 
There  is  of  late  a  war  cry  heard  in  the  land  against 
the  sermon,  but  godly  people  will  not  heed  it. 
The  noisy  champion  for  short  sermons  is  often 
the  man  who  is  short  on  brains  and  piety,  too. 
The  pastor  who  seeks  fame  chiefly  in  the  short- 
ness of  his  sermons  panders  to  a  worthless  ele- 
ment in  his  church. 

It  is  well  to  fix  in  our  minds  the  functions  of 
the  sermon.  It  is  the  animating  factor  in  the 
service.  It  is  bringing  the  Word  of  God  into 
living  contact  with  the  human  soul,  and  that 
through  the  spirit  of  one  who  rests  on  that  Word. 
The  sermon  touches  every  point  of  human  life — 
it  quickens  the  intellectual  forces,  it  kindles  holy 
flames  in  the  imagination,  it  calls  into  play  the 
reason  and  judgment,  it  imparts  new  vigor  to 
faith,  it  radiates  the  soul  with  hope,  it  lights  up 


128  THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

the  future  with  the  promises  of  God,  it  awakens 
new  sentiments  of  fellowship  and  helpfulness 
towards  our  brethren,  and  turns  our  souls  with 
unutterable  pity  for  those  who  have  never  found 
the  way.  A  good  sermon  warmly  delivered  will 
make  any  Christian  a  better  man  and  a  more 
dauntless  friend  of  Jesus. 

It  is  the  pastor  who  is  to  furnish  this  sermon. 
It  must  be  good ;  a  dull  and  empty  sermon  is  giv- 
ing a  stone  in  the  place  of  bread,  and  a  wanton 
fraud  practiced  upon  God's  elect.  If  God  calls 
a  man  to  preach  he  calls  him  to  preach;  that  is  not 
all  that  is  included  in  the  call,  but  it  must  include 
that,  and  that  is  the  biggest  part  of  it.  A  sermon 
must  be  home-made,  well  made,  heart-born  and 
heaven-born,  or  else  it  is  not  a  worthy  response 
to  the  commission  to  preach  which  comes  from 
God. 

It  is  a  reasonable  demand  that  every  sermon 
shall  have  something  in  it  which  appeals  to  chil- 
dren, or  otherwise  it  is  seriously  defective.  If  it 
does  not  give  to  every  one  his  portion  in  due  sea- 
son, it  falls  on  that  very  class  which  stands  in 
most  urgent  need  of  help.  It  ought  to  be  a  sleep- 
destroying  experience  for  any  preacher  to  find 
that  his  sermons  do  not  interest  children;  that 
they  tease  and  fret  their  mothers  to  allow  them 
to  go  home  when  he  is  to  preach.  He  has  much 
reason  for  pulling  himself  to  pieces  to  see  what 
is  the  matter,  and  then  to  consider  whether  he  is 
worthy  of  being  built  over. 


THE   PULPIT   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  I29 

The  contention  is  not  in  favor  of  special  ser- 
mons, made  and  advertised  as  being  specifically 
for  children.  That  may  be  allowable  at  times, 
though  I  should  advise  at  rare  intervals.  The 
too  frequent  resort  to  sermons  intended  for  chil- 
dren will  suggest  that  on  other  occasions  they  are 
excused.  It  is  not  the  sermon  which  masses 
children  together  and  gives  them  undue  promi- 
nence, which  is  most  likely  to  leave  upon  them  a 
lasting  impression.  The  most  effective  sermon 
for  children  is  apt  to  be  the  sermon  which  im- 
presses most  profoundly  the  general  audience. 
Children  are  imitative  and  they  are  affected  by 
what  affects  others ;  indeed,  they  are  often  moved 
through  the  emotion  of  others.  Their  attention 
to  a  sermon  is  always  aroused  by  the  open-eyed 
listening  of  others.  They  hear  with  most  interest 
when  they  discover  that  their  fathers  and  mothers 
are  giving  close  and  eager  attention. 

But  you  must  not  infer  that  my  partial  dis- 
couragement of  the  special  sermon  is  designed 
to  exclude  from  the  pulpit  all  marked  recognition 
of  the  children.  The  plea  is  that  sermons  de- 
signed exclusively  for  the  children  are  not  nec- 
essary in  order  to  command  their  attention.  It 
is  not  so  much  what  the  preacher  says  as  it  is  the 
way  in  which  he  says  it  that  determines  whether 
he  will  be  heard  by  the  children.  If  he.  supports 
the  oratorical  and  high  roller  style,  the  children 
will  look  but  they  will  not  listen.    If  his  language 


130  THE   PASTOR   AND   THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

is  ponderous,  encumbered  with  superlatives  and 
derivatives,  the  children  will  recall  the  diction- 
ary class,  feel  annoyed,  and  presently  court  sleep. 
It  is  the  straight  talker,  the  man  who  uses  short 
words,  puts  big  thoughts  into  concrete  shapes, 
talks  rather  than  speaks,  who  carries  a  sympa- 
thetic quiver  in  his  voice  and  whose  eye  sees  peo- 
ple and  sparkles  at  the  sight  that  the  young  will 
be  glad  to  hear.  We  must  demand  of  children 
an  attention  which  is  founded  on  a  sense  of  duty. 
They  will  hear  if  you  please  them,  not  otherwise. 

It  is  the  clever  device  of  some  shrev\^d  minis- 
ters, sometimes  worthy  of  imitation,  to  vvcave 
into  the  sermon  some  incident  or  thought  for  the 
small  folks  of  the  congregation.  It  may  be  done 
with  excellent  effect,  though  it  may  crash  into  the 
homiletical  structure  of  the  sermon.  It  adds 
much  to  the  interest  of  such  things  Vvdien  they 
are  wrought  into  a  sermon  to  introduce  them  by 
saying  in  substance  at  least :  "This  is  put  in  here 
for  the  children  in  the  congregation  whose  faces 
and  eyes  always  help  me  in  my  preaching." 

We  .utterly  deceive  ourselves  in  giving  as  a 
reason  for  keeping  children  from  the  assembly 
for  worship  that  they  can  not  take  in  the  sermon. 
That  is  true  enough;  they  can  not  receive  the 
sermon  as  a  vv^hole.  They  ought  not  to  be  expect- 
ed to  appropriate  a  sermon;  the  grown  people 
can  not  do  that.  I  heard  Joseph  Parker  say  once 
in  his  temple  in  London,  in  one  of  his  Thursday 


THE   PULPIT   AND   THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  I3I 

noon  lectures,  that  no  man  ought  to  be  discour- 
aged because  he  could  not  take  in  and  digest  an 
entire  sermon  —  that  he  might  as  well  imagine 
that  he  could  enter  a  well-supplied  restaurant 
and  consume  its  total  contents.  This  is  eminent- 
ly true  of  children,  and  we  are  unreasonable  in 
demanding  this  at  their  hands.  If  they  get  even 
a  fragment  that  will  tell;  in  many  cases  be 
enough.  It  will  be  a  seed  dropped  in  virgin  soil. 
It  will  have  a  long  time  to  grow. 

Nor  need  we  be  seriously  discouraged  because 
children  will  not  be  patient  and  attentive  listeners. 
They  can  not  listen,  in  which  respect  they  are  im- 
ages of  their  fathers  and  mothers  in  a  multitude 
of  cases.  But  it  is  hardly  too  much  to  say  that 
a  boy  will  get  more,  retain  more  at  least,  than 
old  people,  even  when  he  does  not  listen  and  when 
they  do.  I  have  sometimes  said  that  children 
can  absorb  more  than  they  hear,  and  it  is  true 
beyond  a  doubt  that  they  can  fidget,  whisper,  gaze 
around,  pinch  and  scratch  each  other  and  indulge 
many  sly  smiles,  and  yet  carry  away  a  deal  of  the 
sermon.     They  catch  the  truth  on  the  fly. 

It  is  a  valuable  custom  of  some  parents  and 
teachers  to  evoke  from  the  young  a  statement  of 
what  they  hear  from  the  pulpit.  The  pastor  may 
also  adopt  with  advantage  this  catechetical  meth- 
od wdth  the  young.  But  let  me  make  haste  to  re- 
mind you  that  this  is  a  thing  which  may  be  over- 
worked or  worked  injuriously.     It  ought  never 


132  THE   PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

to  be  done  In  a  bantering,  quizzing  way,  as  if 
the  object  was  to  entangle  and  humiliate  the  chil- 
dren. It  is  not  to  be  done  against  the  wish  of 
the  children  nor  in  the  presence  of  strangers,  nor 
followed  by  censures  for  not  knowing.  Easily 
enough  we  may  in  this  way  intimidate  the  little 
ones,  cause  them  to  think  that  it  is  a  trap  to  en- 
snare them  and  thus  incHne  them  to  keep  out  of 
danger,  even  if  they  have  to  stay  from  church.  I 
recall  that  once  I  preached  on  Sunday  morning 
on  the  Christian  armor,  and  gave  each  piece  of 
the  armor  and  defined  the  purpose  of  each  of  these 
parts.  That  afternoon  at  the  Boys'  Society, 
which  was  one  of  the  established  organizations 
of  the  church  for  over  twenty-five  years,  I  ques- 
tioned the  boys  as  to  the  armor.  It  was  grat- 
ifying to  find  that  many  of  them  could  name 
every  part  and  state  what  it  was  intended  to  rep- 
resent. They  had  not  expected  to  be  examined, 
they  were  not  boys  of  unusual  intelligence  and 
their  average  age  was  probably  not  over  twelve. 
But  they  had  been  trained  to  attend  public  wor- 
ship and  knew  how  to  listen.  It  is  not  only  pos- 
sible to  lead  the  young  to  worship  by  gentle  and 
loving  means,  it  is  easy  to  do  it,  and  there  is  noth- 
ing in  the  province  of  a  pastor's  work  more 
worthy  of  his  most  strenuous  efforts. 

I  speak  in  favor  of  the  children  when  I  plead 
for  the  short  sermon,  though  I  am  not  unmindful 
of  the  fact  that  the  plea  will  win  for  me  boundless 


THE   PULPIT   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  I33 

popularity  with  almost  everybody,  excepting  a 
few  preachers.  But  I  am  not  championing  ser- 
monettes — rattling  little  dribbles,  with  nothing  in 
them,  catch-penny  devices  for  pleasing  weak  peo- 
ple, but  sermons  running  from  thirty  to  forty 
minutes.  It  takes  immense  work  to  make  a  ser- 
mon of  that  length ;  it  is  easy  enough  to  turn  out 
sermons  by  the  dozen  running  fifty  and  sixty 
minutes  in  length.  But  to  study  a  subject  to  its 
core,  dig  up  everything  about  it  down  to  its  roots, 
and  subject  the  result  to  a  discriminating  study, 
picking  out  the  salient  points,  adopting  only  what 
is  essential  to  the  discussion,  putting  it  in  strong 
and  vital  words,  having  as  your  governing  prin- 
ciple in  its  delivery  the  application  of  its  doctrines 
straight  home  to  all  hearts,  that  is  no  light  task, 
but  that  is  the  preaching  that  will  so  impress  the 
people  that  it  will  make  children  listen.  A  ser- 
mon like  that  ought  not  to  be  long.  As  a  fact 
people  can  not  long  endure  a  compact,  intense, 
burning  sermon — it  wears  them  out.  Deep  im- 
pressions must  be  made  quickly  or  not  at  all.  Of 
all  things  religion  is  the  most  absorbing  and  its 
strain  is  too  intense  to  stand  a  continued  excite- 
ment. Besides,  there  is  a  recoil  from  long  ser- 
mons even  among  devout  people.  The  first  time 
that  I  ever  attended  the  Southern  Baptist  Con- 
vention I  sat  next  to  the  late  Dr.  Robert  Ryland 
during  the  delivery  of  the  introductory  sermon, 
and  as  we  went  out  I  asked  him  how  he  liked  the 


134  THE    PASTOR   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

sermon.  "I  liked  the  first  forty-five  minutes  very 
well/'  was  the  Doctor's  reply,  "but  did  not  listen 
to  the  last  hour  of  it."  That  was  more  candor 
than  we  might  expect  from  many,  but  as  a  fact 
not  many  have  capacity  for  more  than  forty  min- 
utes of  compact  public  speech. 

The  preacher  must  be  compassionate  to  the 
young.  A  young  preacher  said  lately  in  expla- 
nation of  a  long  sermon  that  when  he  got  inter- 
ested in  his  sermon  he  took  no  note  of  time.  It 
is  quite  certain  that  his  people  took  note  of  the 
time  rather  than  of  the  sermon.  The  young  are 
full  of  spirit,  tingHng  with  vitality;  confinement 
soon  becomes  intolerable  to  them,  and  they  re- 
quire change  of  order  or  they  rebel.  Yes,  they 
can  dance  all  night,  but  they  have  their  intervals 
of  rest,  have  time  for  strolls  and  chats,  are  under 
a  spell  of  infatuation,  and  have  the  supper  as  a 
variation  and  refreshment.  We  must  take  the 
young  as  they  are,  not  as  they  ought  to  be ;  not  as 
you  are ;  not  as  they  will  be,  but  as  they  are.  The 
sermon  must  be  made  with  our  face  turned  to  God 
and  yet  in  sight  of  the  people.  It  must  be  fitted 
to  them  and  have  nothing  in  its  form  or  length 
that  will  provoke  the  hearer.  Unless  the  preacher 
is  identified  with  the  hearer  he  will  not  be  able  to 
determine  what  his  message  to  him  should  be. 


THE  TASTOR  AND  THE   GARNER.  I35 

LECTURE  V. 

THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   GARNER. 

After  all  that  has  been  said  I  would  not  have 
you  place  any  exaggerated  estimate  upon  the 
Sunday-school  .  Nakedly  considered  it  is  simply 
a  method — an  employment  of  Christian  forces  to 
bring  on  the  kingdom  of  God.  In  some  eyes  it  is 
the  substance  of  the  whole  matter,  the  one  thing 
for  which  all  other  things  were  made,  and  for 
whose  promotion  all  other  things  are  to  be  pressed 
into  service.  We  should  resent  all  attempts  to 
push  the  Sunday-school  into  exclusive  prefer- 
ence, as  if  it  was  the  only  way  of  saving  the 
world.  It  has  been  declared  in  a  previous  lecture 
that  the  Christian  judgment  of  the  age  evidently 
concurs  in  the  opinion  that  the  churches  of  Christ 
have  hit  upon  no  other  method  of  evangelization 
so  wise,  effective  and  far-reaching  as  the  Sun- 
day-school. But  after  all  it  is  only  a  means  to  an 
end. 

It  need  not  be  said  that  it  is  not  always  pos- 
sible to  concentrate  our  full  Christian  force  into 
any  one  enterprise.  The  Sunday-school  Itself 
while  the  most  popular  of  our  schemes  of  activity, 
does  not  always  command  the  completest  co-op- 
eration. It  is  to  be  deplored  that  in  our  extremi- 
ties we  sometimes  resort  to  expedients,  unsancti- 


136  THE    PASTOR    AND   THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

fied  and  hurtful.  It  is  to  be  feared  that  the  power 
of  this  ni.agnificent  agency  is  curtailed  by  the 
very  means  adopted  to  advance  it. 

It  is  not  easy  to  maintain  the  tide  of  enthu- 
siasm in  the  Sunday-school.  There  must  come 
seasons  of  depression,  when  the  love  of  all  will 
wax  cold,  and  the  temptation  to  play  new  forces 
grows  strong,  forces  not  holy  nor  safe,  and  forces 
which  bring  confusion  and  strain. 

We  know^  that  wherever  there  is  complexity 
of  influences  there  is  perii,  and  in  the  event 
there  are  mixed  methods,  and  as  a  consequence 
open  antagonism,  the  danger  increases.  It 
must  occur  to  us  that  every  school  needs  a 
harmonizing  and  hallowing  force,  some  one 
to  exorcise  hostile  elements,  to  reconcile  con- 
flicting influences,  and  to  breathe  into  all  the 
gracious  temper  of  Christ.  This  demand,  al- 
ways present,  and  often  urgent,  may  be  met  in 
part  by  conservative  and  sweetly  reasonable  peo- 
ple, but  by  far  the  most  efficient  force  for  this 
purpose,  the  one  which  the  Lord  authoritatively 
gives,  is  the  pastor. 

You  can  not  always  define  the  measure  of  in- 
dividual force  in  concerted  movements.  There 
are  many  phases  in  those  gracious  activities 
wdiich  help  on  the  work  of  salvation.  One  sow- 
eth  and  another  reapeth.  Some  get  in  their  work 
at  one  point,  and  others  come  in  at  points  quite 
distinct  and  apart.     Then  there  is  a  curious  twist- 


THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   GARNER.  I37 

ing  and  interlacing  of  human  labors  often  eluding 
observation,  strands  of  Christian  force  which 
blend  to  bring  the  final  result.  If  any  one  of  us, 
with  our  imperfect  knowledge,  should  attempt  to 
make  a  list  of  those  who  participated  in  our  con- 
version, or  who  have  been  of  vital  service  to  us  in 
our  spiritual  struggles  since,  we  would  probably 
fall  far  short  of  honoring  some  vvho  were  of  great- 
est help  to  us.  Often  the  most  effectual  support 
that  we  derive  from  others  comes  to  us  uncon- 
sciously, as,  indeed,  it  comes  from  them  in  the 
same  way.  But  I  venture  to  say  that  in  an  analy- 
sis of  the  influences  which  work  for  good  in  a 
Sunday-school  we  would  always  find  traces  of 
pastoral  sympathy  in  every  case.  The  true  man 
cf  God  throws  the  spell  of  his  character  over  all 
and  is  helpful  at  every  point.  He  lingers  around 
the  gate  to  cheer  those  who  are  going.  That  is 
the  post  where  you  may  meet  the  true  shepherd. 

It  is  a  great  attainment  to  become  able  to  esti- 
mate the  value  of  things.  When  we  learn  to 
weigh  things  at  their  real  worth,  we  have  en- 
tered the  road  to  wisdom.  This  is  true  in  every- 
thing, but  nowhere  is  it  more  necessary  than 
w^hen  we  come  to  estimate  the  several  forces 
which  play  the  masterful  parts  in  securing  the 
salvation  of  men.  We  must  recognize  all  good 
agencies  and  accord  them  their  merited  rank. 

Of  the  divinely  established  powers  which  con- 
verge to  the  saving  of  men,  we  must  place  the 


138  THE   PASTOR   AND    THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

family  very  high.  It  is  hard  to  make  our  home 
influence  holy  and  salutary.  That  has  to  be  an 
everyday  matter,  and  it  is  difficult  to  behave  so 
well  seven  days  in  the  week  as  to  convince  our 
children  that  we  are  the  friends  of  God  and  of 
righteousness.  It  is  agonizing  to  reflect  upon  the 
deadly  consequences  which  come  to  a  family  in 
which  the  gospel  is  discounted  by  those  who 
claim  to  believe  it.  But  happily  it  is  possible  for 
families  to  be  holy  and  walk  in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord.  In  all  the  ages  some  have  been  blameless 
before  God,  and  the  testimony  of  a  household 
like  that  is,  in  the  long  run,  well  nigh  irresistible. 
Let  us  honor  the  family.  It  is  the  first  invention 
of  God  for  our  race.  A  well  ordered  house  is  a 
saving  institution,  and  faithful  parents  v/ould 
save  their  children  though  there  was  no  church 
and  no  ministry.  But  remember  that  the  God 
who  founded  the  family  ordained  the  ministry. 
Even  in  the  most  godly  household  there  is  a  place, 
a  duty,  a  necessity  for  a  pastor. 

Nor  would  I  underrate  the  teacher.  The  Sun- 
day-school teacher  is  one  of  the  most  significant 
and  attractive  products  of  the  Christianity  of  our 
times.  The  fact  that  men  and  women  for  a  life- 
time will  give  themselves  to  the  teaching  of  the 
Scriptures,  without  compensation,  greatly  to  their 
inconvenience,  often  in  connection  with  refrac- 
tory, unappreciative  children,  and  often  without 
the  sight  of  helpful  results  to  keep  them  up,  is  a 


THE   PASTOR   AND   THE    GARNER.  I39 

sublime  and  fascinating  fact.  It  kindles  the 
soul  with  new  enthusiasm  for  the  human  race  and 
tells  me  of  the  ultimate  victory  of  the  truth. 

Of  course  there  are  teachers  and  teachers — 
none  perfect,  many  grievously  feeble  and  failing 
in  many  things,  but  after  all  I  rise  up,  full  of  ad- 
miration, to  praise  and  honor  the  Sunday-school 
teacher.  He  is  a  student  of  the  word  of  Life; 
he  has  a  call  to  teach  and  knows  it;  he  feels  that 
he  is  identified  with  the  destiny  of  those  whom 
he  teaches  and  has  the  care  of  his  little  flock 
heavy  on  his  heart.  They  that  be  wise,  that  is, 
they  that  be  teachers,  shall  win  souls,  shall  turn 
m.any  to  righteousness  and  shine  as  stars  in  the 
firmament  forever  and  ever. 

But  after  these  cordial  admissions  we  must 
hold  to  the  fundamental  fact  that  the  minister  is 
the  appointed  leader  and  teacher  of  God's  people. 
If  he  is  what  he  ought  to  be,  what  a  true  minis- 
ter always  is,  he  will  have  more  to  do  with  the 
spiritual  enlightenment  and  development  of  the 
people  of  his  charge  than  the  teacher.  He  will 
be  more  skilled  and  will  be  at  it  seven  days  in  the 
week.  This  must  be  so.  For  to  this  end  has 
God  counted  him  vv-orthy,  putting  him  in  the  min- 
istry, and  in  his  pastoral  office  he  finds  the  best 
opportunity  for  giving  proof  of  his  calling. 

It  remains  for  us  in  this  closing  lecture  in  the 
series  to  study  the  work  of  the  pastor  in  harvest- 
ing the  fruit  of  the  Sunday-school.     What  part 


140  THE  PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

has  he  in  that  holy  struggle  to  save  the  child 
which  has  already  begun,  as  we  may  hope,  in  the 
family,  and  has  been  taken  up  and  carried  for- 
ward by  the  teacher.  Let  us  be  quick  to  insist 
that  the  pastor  is  not  to  consider  his  task  as 
simply  supplemental,  something  to  be  taken  up  as 
it  drops  from  other  hands.  It  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  that  he  shall  begin  at  the  beginning — 
shall  weave  his  life  into  the  life  of  the  children, 
know  them  there,  at  their  homes,  attach  himself 
to  the  young  people  in  their  Sunday-school  stud- 
ies and  be  with  them  in  every  step  of  their  ad- 
vance. So  far  as  it  is  possible  he  ought  to  be 
linked  into  the  life  of  every  scholar  in  his  school. 
He  may  deem  this  as  too  exacting.  But  he 
must  know  that  Christ  our  Lord  was  pre-emi- 
nently a  believer  in  the  value  of  personal  con- 
tact. Most  of  his  converts  were  won  in  a  hand- 
to-hand  fight.  Let  the  pastor  understand  that  he 
is  to  save  by  his  touch  or  not  at  all. 

Perhaps  I  ought  to  say  here,  for  lack  of  a  bet- 
ter place,  that  you  must  not  infer  from  my  con- 
stant references  to  children  that  I  consider  the 
Sunday-school  as  a  place  only  for  children.  I 
adhere  to  the  definition  of  the  Sunday-school  as 
the  church  engaged  in  teaching  and  studying  the 
Scriptures.  Into  this  organization  all  classes 
ought  to  come.  It  is  the  place  for  all,  and  has 
employment  and  blessings  for  all. 

At  the  same  time  I  must  think  constantly  of 


THE   PASTOR   AND  THE   GARNER.  I4I 

the  Sunday-school  as  the  place  where  the  young 
are  brought  to  study  the  Bible.  Here  the  gospel 
is  brought  to  the  people  at  the  same  time  that  the 
people  are  brought  to  the  gospel.  Here  is  the 
salvation  of  God  commenced  and  carried  on. 

I  must  invite  you  to  study  the  pastor's  part  in 
gathering  the  spiritual  fruit  as  grown  in  the  Sun- 
day-school. 

I.  The  pastor  must  fully  recognize  his  obliga- 
tion to  be  intimately  associated  with  the  conver- 
sion of  his  young  people.  He  must  be  there  on 
that  gracious  occasion;  his  absence  may  prove  a 
calamity  to  him,  a  loss  to  the  convert  and  a  peril 
to  the  church. 

Think  not  that  I  plead  for  a  mechanical  or  per- 
functory handling  of  the  young  as  if  the  pastor 
had  authority  to  thrust  himself  into  the  life  of  the 
soul  and  dictate  the  duty  of  conversion.  Dead  be 
the  thought  of  a  compulsory  repentance.  I  al- 
most shudder  when  I  think  of  the  rudeness  with 
which  some  ministers  invade  the  freedom  of  the 
children  and  seek  to  extort  confession  of  a  faith 
which  they  are  afraid  to  avow.  There  is  one 
point  at  which  the  soul  must  be  free  to  make  its 
religious  choice.  It  can  hear  argument,  suffer 
appeal,  and  feel  the  pressure  of  entreaty,  but  be- 
yond that  it  must  be  left  to  Itself.  Not  father 
nor  mother  can  safely  invade  the  sanctity  of  the 
child's  will  when  it  is  wrestling  with  the  supreme 
choice  of  its  being.     It  must  be  left  alone  with 


142  THE   PASTOR  AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

its  pleading  Redeemer  and  settle  the  issue  for 
itself,  otherwise  its  decision  will  not  be  whole 
and  complete.  At  that  point  the  pastor  is  much 
needed  and  he  himself  needs  wisdom  from  above. 
Not  to  drive  nor  insist,  but  gently  to  show  the 
way. 

Complaint  is  sometimes  made  in  times  of  re- 
vival that  parents  hold  their  children  back.  It 
is  common  to  hear  them  denounced  for  treach- 
ery to  their  children  because  they  do  not  join 
more  decidedly  in  the  effort  to  bring  them  to  the 
open  act  of  religions  profession.  Now,  it  is  to  be 
regretted  that  often  ungodly  parents,  and  souk  • 
times  professedly  Christian  parents,  antagonize 
movements  for  the  conversion  of  their  children. 
If  they  are  actuated  by  a  real  opposition  to  the 
conversion  of  their  children  then  they  are  verily 
guilty ^  and  they  put  the  souls  of  their  children  in 
jeopardy. 

At  the  same  time  I  desire  to  say  here,  with  an 
emphasis  which  no  word  nor  tone  nor  underscore 
can  ever  fully  express,  my  unmeasured  respect  for 
the  caution  and  solicitude  with  which  Christian 
parents  observe  the  attempts  which  are  made  to 
precipitate  their  children  into  professions  of  re- 
ligion. 

There  is  something  most  affecting  in  their 
concern.  It  must  touch  any  soul  to  mark  with 
what  sensitive  and  discriminating  solicitude  they 
hover  about  their  little  ones  at  such  times.     Not 


THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   GARNER.  I43 

that  they  are  unwilling  to  see  their  children  enter 
the  service  of  Christ — that  is  their  burning  desire, 
but  they  are  filled  with  dread  lest  undue,  unnat- 
ural stress  they  act  rashly  and  in  ignorance.  I 
revere  their  cautious  spirit.  They  are  wise  cus- 
todians of  the  children  that  God  has  given  them.. 
They  are  justly  fearful  lest  their  precious  ones 
commit  a  blunder,  the  effect  of  which  may  bligfVi 
their  subsequent  lives.  To  interpret  their  con- 
duct into  a  disregard  for  the  welfare  of  their 
children  is  to  inflict  upon  them  a  deadly  cruelty. 

When  I  recall  the  way  in  which  I  have  seen 
the  young  handled  by  sensational  teachers  and 
yet  more  by  impulsive  and  overstraining  evange- 
lists, I  have  justified  parents  in  their  inexpressible 
dread  lest  their  children  should  be  hastened  into 
unthinking  action.  It  is  a  pity  that  there  should 
be  any  occasion  for  this  extreme  caution  on  the 
part  of  parents;  it  shows  a  lack  of  faith,  not  in 
God,  but  in  the  methods  and  judgment  of  those 
who  sometimes  conduct  our  evangelistic  meetings. 

From  this  abnormal  dread  and  anxiety  par- 
ents ought  to  be  guarded.  They  need  to  have 
relief  from  the  nightmare  which  comes  to  so  many 
with  the  annual  revival.  Vv^here  can  relief  be 
found?  It  ought  to  be  furnished  by  the  pastor. 
He  ought  to  be  a  man  worthy  of  boundless  trust 
in  his  methods  of  dealing  with  the  children.  Ke 
ought  to  command  the  unquestioning  confidence 
of  his  congregation.     Parents  ought  to  feel  that 


144  THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

they  entrust  their  children  to  him  without  mis- 
giving, and  his  decisions  ought  to  have  the  force 
of  authority  with  them,  simply  on  the  ground 
that  what  he  says  is  backed  by  a  record  which 
inspires  unlimited  trust. 

That  ought  to  be  the  feeling  of  the  teachers 
also — that  of  perfect  trust  in  the  wisdom  and 
faithfulness  of  the  pastor.  When  they  are  as- 
sured that  he  lives  near  the  throne  and  has  an 
eye  for  the  highest  good  of  the  people,  then  teach- 
ers will  ever  be  quick  to  bring  their  scholars  un- 
der his  control.  A  man  of  this  type  will  attract 
all  classes  of  inquirers.  Anxious  souls  will  pur- 
sue him  to  his  study,  visit  him  at  his  home,  or 
even  rush  to  him  on  the  street  when  they  feel  the 
need  of  his  help. 

Too  much  can  not  be  said  as  to  the  supreme 
rank  of  a  pastor  as  the  guide  of  his  people.  They 
must  know  him.  Of  all  on  earth  they  ought  to 
look  most  eagerly  to  him.  In  hours  of  sorrow 
and  necessity  they  ought  to  turn  as  by  instinct 
to  him.  It  is  only  when  this  ripened  confidence 
exists  that  a  pastor  can  do  his  best  work. 

Jealousy  is  a  virtue  which  by  being  misplaced 
becomes  an  excrescense  and  deformity.  Jeal- 
ousy is  an  attribute  of  God  and  always  asserts 
itself  when  he  is  superseded  in  the  affections  of 
his  people.  It  is  that  characteristic  which  makes 
us  contend  for  our  rightful  place  in  the  heart. 

A  true  pastor  will  be  jealous,  obstinately  and 


THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   GARNER.  I45 

inexorably  jealous,  whenever  he  sees  another 
coming  in  between  himself  and  his  people.  Not 
that  he  will  be  worried  by  the  vulgar  dread  of 
displacement,  but  by  the  sense  of  the  sacredness 
of  his  relationship  and  the  feeling  that  no  one 
must  be  allowed  to  v/eaken  the  grasp  which  he 
lias  upon  his  flock.  Least  of  all  will  he  willingly 
let  another  take  his  place  at  that  interesting  cri- 
sis in  the  lives  of  his  young  people  when  they  are 
making  the  passage  from,  the  darkness  of  unbe- 
lief into  the  glorious  light  and  liberty  of  the  king- 
dom of  God.  That  is  a  point  at  v/hich  he  must 
be  present,  and  he  must  allow  no  intruder  to  dis- 
lodge him.  That  is  a  time  when  the  shepherd 
must  trust  no  one — his  own  hand  must  hold  and 
his  own  bosom  must  shelter  the  lambs,  and  if  he 
is  already  entrenched  in  the  hearts  of  his  young 
cople,  they  will  go  to  no  other.  No  spurious 
magnetism  wdll  draw  them  away  from  him;  no 
substitute  will  be  tolerated  and  a  stranger's  voice 
they  will  not  hear.  Others  may  hit  them  with 
":-;e  arrovv^s  of  convictions,  but  when  they  fall  they 
ill  cry  like  lambs  for  the  shepherd. 
That  is  a  vital  hour  in  the  pastor's  career  as  a 
"oul-saver.  He  will  not  ^:hrov\^  away  his  right  or 
is  opportunit3^  He  will  surrender  his  convert- 
ig  power  to  no  mortal.  He  knov/s  too  well  that 
The  loses  touch  with  his  own  at  a  moment  like 
■^•at  he  will  not  recover  it.  If  they  become  in- 
fatuated wdth  another  as  the  chief  agent  in  their 


146  THE   PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

conversion  they  will  feel  that  their  best  friend  is 
gone  when  the  evangelist  departs.  He  will  carry 
away  with  him  the  gratitude,  confidence  and  af- 
fection which  belongs  rightly  to  the  pastor. 

This  is  not  intended  to  put  the  brand  of  rejec- 
tion upon  the  revivalist.  He  has  his  place, 
though  he  often  displays  an  astounding  genius  for 
not  finding  it,  especially  if  he  is  a  professional. 
For  my  part  I  would  welcome  the  help  of  any 
man  who  has  converting  power,  provided  the 
power  is  from  above,  and  justifies  itself  in  the 
stable  quality  of  its  fruit,  and  provided  further 
that  the  man's  zeal  is  not  the  mere  push  and  au- 
dacity of  the  campaigner.  If  he  has  a  heaven- 
born  enthusiasm  for  souls  he  is  worthy.  The 
true  evangelist  after  all  is  the  pastor.  He  is  on 
the  side  of  the  church,  not  studying  what  he  will 
pluck  from  the  church  by  the  meeting,  but  what 
the  church  will  reap  as  the  fruit  of  the  work 
which  he  does.  When  the  harvest  is  ripe  it  may 
be  well  to  send  out  and  summon  a  brother  pastor 
to  sound  the  gospel  trumpet,  to  stimulate  the 
activities  of  the  church  and  to  divide  the  burdens 
of  the  work,  but  in  the  division  of  labor  see  that 
the  pastor  stands  closest  to  the  gate  of  the  king- 
dom to  look  after  those  who  are  going  in.  Most 
important  work  is  needed  there,  and  the  pastor  is 
the  man  to  do  it.  This  is  no  plea  for  narrow- 
ness, no  play  upon  the  suspicions  of  weak  pas- 
tors and  no  attempt  to  weaken  the  minister  who 


THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   GARNER.  I47 

comes  to  assist.  It  is  a  call  for  the  Tightness  of 
things,  for  faithfulness  at  the  vital  point,  and  for 
the  observance  of  the  unities  of  a  pastor's  power. 

Years  ago  I  went  to  aid  a  brother  in  a  revival 
meeting.  He  was  a  stranger  to  me,  a  scholar  of 
high  repute,  an  author  and  a  princely  gentleman. 
It  was  a  terror  to  me  to  preach  in  his  presence ; 
a  feeling  immensely  increased  by  his  telling  me 
privately,  after  hearing  several  of  my  sermons 
that  my  way  of  preaching  was  not  adapted  to  the 
times  and  would  not  interest  the  class  of  people 
to  whom  I  was  preaching.  His  words  cut  me 
low,  as  I  had  nothing  else  to  preach,  and  I  think 
that  I  would  have  asked  for  my  discharge  but  for 
the  fact  that  Sunday  was  at  hand  and  it  was  out 
that  I  was  to  preach.  In  a  spirit  almost  as  much 
of  despair  as  of  confidence — the  two  seemed  in  a 
wrestle  with  each  other — I  selected  for  my  Sun- 
day sermons  topics  which  carried  us  far  into  the 
heart  of  the  gospel.  I  had  to  fall  back  out  of  the 
realm  of  human  sympathy  to  the  shelter  of  the 
Rock  in  a  weary  land. 

That  day  the  old  gospel  got  in  its  work.  The 
sword  of  the  Spirit  was  unsheathed,  and  the 
slain  of  the  Lord  were  many. 

That  week  saw  wonderful  sights.  Day  after 
day  the  noon  inquirer's  room  was  thronged. 
Alas,  the  pastor  never  entered  that  room,  and  T, 
a  wanton  intruder,  spent  the  week  In  doing 
what  he  ought  never  to  have  allowed  an  outsider 


148  THE   PASTOR    AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

to  do.  I  confess  that  my  heart  went  not  to  him 
as  a  pastor.  He  seemed  to  me  an  uncentered 
man,  confused  as  to  his  duty  at  such  a  time,  and 
faihng  at  a  stage  in  his  work  where  no  man  could 
afford  to  fail.  Of  course  he  ought  to  have  been 
there;  possibly  I  ought  not  to  have  been  there 
unless  he  needed  my  aid,  and  yet  it  seemed  impos- 
sible to  urge  him  to  be  there  lest  he  would  not 
know  what  to  do.  Afterwards  I  learned  that  he 
baptized  some,  but  not  a  few  of  the  young  people 
could  not  cross  the  chasm  which  separated  them 
from  the  pastor  and  went  unbaptized.  They  had 
no  pastor,  except  in  name,  which  is  worse  than 
having  none,  in  fact. 

In  cases  of  extraordinary  services  where  the 
pastor  has  ministerial  aid  and  where  there  are 
many  turning  to  the  Lord,  the  pastor  ought  to  be 
master  of  the  inquirer's  room  and  use  the  visitor 
only  so  far  as  it  seems  best.  The  reins  of  pas- 
toral authority  ought  never  to  drop  out  the  pas- 
tor's hands  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the 
meeting.  Of  course  this  order  of  things  must 
not  be  overworked  in  the  presence  of  the  people, 
and  yet  all  ought  to  be  conscious  of  the  order. 
Pastors  are  often  weakened  in  their  grasp  by  the 
swell  of  revival  influences  in  the  church,  but  it 
ought  not  to  be  so. 

Perhaps  you  are  appalled  by  the  strenuous 
and  almost  radical  insistence  with  which  I  empha- 
size the  rank  and  authority  of  the  pastor.     The 


THE   PASTOR  AND   THE   GARNER.  I49 

plea  is  greatly  needed,  and  I  only  lament  that  I 
can  not  make  it  many  times  stronger.  The  weak 
point  in  the  running  gear  of  our  churches  is  the 
pastoral  tie.  That  is  weak,  liable  to  snap,  easily 
knotted  and  not  much  at  best  in  many  cases.  It 
is  time  that  churches  had  higher  conceptions  of 
the  pastor's  place,  and  that  they  would  hold  minis- 
ters to  their  legitimate  places.  It  would  mark  a 
new  era  in  pastoral  history  if  we  could  hear  of  a 
few  holy  and  faithful  churches  courteously  Invit- 
ing their  pastors  to  resign,  not  about  their  salaries 
nor  their  debts  nor  their  absences,  but  because 
they  seem  to  have  no  gift  for  leading  the  young 
people  to  Christ.  Of  course  that  is  a  matter  not 
for  precipitate  action,  but  where  the  pastor  is 
manifestly  devoid  of  such  power  he  ought  to  give 
place  for  another. 

It  is  to  be  feared  that  some  pastors  will  writhe 
under  these  suggestions  and  feel  that  the  require- 
ment is  placed  too  high.  Let  him  not  believe  it. 
He  has  placed  himself.  Pastors  are  God's  men, 
chosen  for  saving  the  lost,  and  if  they  have  no 
genius  for  it,  why,  v/hat  is  the  matter?  What 
can  they  do  about  it?  They  need  not  trust  to 
novelties  or  social  amenities  to  bring  the  change. 
The  trouble  is  deeper,  and  they  must  get  the  peo- 
ple to  believe  in  them  before  they  can  ever  bring 
them  to  believe  in  eternal  things. 

The  people  must  see  a  preacher  in  his  every- 
day clothes.     His  Wednesday  walk  must  be  with 


150  THE   PASTOR  AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

God.  He  is  to  stand  the  jibes  of  the  foolish  and 
the  shafts  of  the  adversary.  His  life  must  be  so 
high  that  it  will  overtop  the  clouds — so  high  that 
no  earthly  darts  can  reach  it — so  high  that  the 
light  of  heaven  v^ill  crown  it — so  high  that  bad 
people  will  wish  they  are  good  when  they  see 
him.  All  he  will  have  to  do  with  his  light  will 
be  to  let  it  shine.  To  that  light  many  will 
come  out  of  the  darkness  and  find  the  way.  He 
is  the  man  who  will  do  to  be  the  inquirer's  teach- 
er and  the  convert's  guide. 

2.  But  we  come  to  the  second  aspect  of  the 
present  theme,  exceeding  in  rank  if  possible  that 
which  has  gone  before,  that  is,  the  pastor  is  to 
establish  the  newly  saved  soul  in  the  Christian 
life. 

We  can  never  cease  to  wonder  at  the  grace 
displayed  in  our  conversion ;  that  is  an  experience 
perennially  fresh  and  gladsome.  It  is  not  strange 
that  so  many  linger  there  in  holy  astonishment  at 
the  mercy  which  saved  them.  And  yet  that  is  no 
place  to  stop,  it  is  the  beginning  and  not  the  end. 
There  is  yet  more  to  be  done.  The  work  which 
follows  conversion  is  not  less  essential  than  that 
which  led  up  to  conversion.  It  is  harrowing  in- 
deed to  observe  the  apathy  and  heartlessness 
with  which  young  Christians  are  treated.  Too 
often  have  I  seen  them  slighted  and  forgotten  by 
churches  and  pastors,  too. 

Let  us  set  down  in  order  some  attentions  that 


THE   PASTOR  AND  THE   GARNER.  I51 

young  people  need  when  they  first  espouse  the 
cause  of  Christ. 

( I )  The  pastor  must  have  a  bright  affectionate 
faith  in  the  young  convert.  Much  has  been  said 
in  advocacy  of  the  doctrine  that  the  parent  can 
beheve  for  the  child.  There  is  a  subtle  gracious 
sense  in  which  it  seems  that  faith  is  almost  catch- 
ing ;  loving  mothers  almost  seem  to  have  the  pow- 
er of  impartation,  and  yet  it  is  not  safe  to  say,  not 
true  to  say  that  one  can  believe  for  another  in  any 
saving  sense.  But  there  is  the  more  practicable 
privilege  of  believing  in  the  child,  in  its  sincer- 
ity, its  capacity  to  apprehend  spiritual  things.„ 
and  in  its  true  faith  in  the  Son  of  God.  I  al- 
most think  of  faith  in  the  conversion  of  people 
as  a  specific  grace.  It  is  a  fruit  of  the  highest 
spiritual  life. 

While  we  ought  not  to  assume  that  one  can 
believe  for  another,  I  have  often  seen  the  deadly 
effect  of  mistrust  and  opposition  on  the  faith  of 
young  converts.  Our  unbelief  can  do  much  t(? 
repress  and  enfeeble  the  faith  of  the  newly  saved 
Some  of  us  can  recall  the  chill  and  blight  which 
fell  on  us  in  our  early  religious  experiences  when 
doubt  was  cast  upon  our  conversion.  The  as- 
persion of  our  faith  went  far  towards  its  destruc- 
tion. It  is  a  wretched  moment  in  the  life  of  a 
sincere  youth  to  be  suspected  of  ignorance  or 
insincerity.  Many  a  young  soul  quivering  with 
religious  hope  and  joy  has  been  smitten  to  the 


152  THE   PASTOR   AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

earth  by  the  feehng  that  they  were  not  trusted  by 
others.  There  can  be  no  graver  wrong  done  a 
child  than  to  discredit  its  faith.  And  yet  par- 
ents sometimes  do  this.  Alas,  I  have  seen  pas- 
tors do  it. 

On  the  other  hand  there  is  a  constructive  and 
edifying  power  in  faith.  To  know  that  the  godly 
believe  in  us  is  strength.  I  can  not  forget  that 
some  years  ago  I  accompanied  a  young  minister 
to  his  church  meeting  in  the  country.  It  was  a 
double  service,  with  dinner  between,  and  quite 
a  company  of  the  neighborhood  people  were  on 
hand.  At  the  close  of  the  afternoon  service  I  in- 
vited confessions  of  Christ.  As  I  descended  from 
the  stand  to  the  floor  a  suspiciously  diminutive 
boy  came  forth  to  meet  me,  and  with  flowing 
tears  took  my  hand  and  stood  silently  before  me. 
The  scene  was  touching,  and  yet  the  smallness  of 
the  boy  excited  a  doubt  which  could  be  read  on 
the  face  of  the  congregation. 

Just  then  a  gentleman  rose  in  the  re^r  of  the 
house,  came  up  the  aisle  and  stopped  near  the 
lad  and  myself.  Turning  to  the  audience  he  said : 
"My  friends,  this  is  a  mighty  little  boy  to  be  pro- 
fessing religion,  and  I  expect  you  think  he  doesn't 
know  what  he  is  about.  But  let  me  tell  you  that 
this  is  my  boy  and  I  believe  in  him  as  much  as  I 
believe  anybody  in  this  church.  I  know  him  and 
know  he  is  in  earnest."  Then  bending  down  he 
kissed  the  little  fellow  and  took  him  in  his  arms. 


THE    PASTOR   AND   THE   GARNER.  I53 

The  benediction  of  that  loving  act  lingers  with 
n:t  yet.  The  father's  faith  in  the  child  helped  its 
own. 

All  pastors  of  wide  observation  and  ripe  re- 
ligious experiences  must  believe  in  the  conversion 
of  children.  They  are  in  earnest,  and  if  well 
managed  rarely  make  a  mistake  in  their  religious 
professions.  It  is  a  source  of  health  and  strength 
to  the  young  convert  to  feel  assured  that  he  has 
the  confidence  of  his  pastor.  This  he  ought  to 
have  and  the  pastor  ought  to  see  that  he  feels  it. 

Nor  does  this  complete  the  pastor's  part;  he 
must  go  further  and  build  up  in  his  people  like 
faith  in  the  piety  of  children.  Without  this  in  a 
church  young  people  ought  not  to  come  into  it. 

(2)  The  pastor  must  create  some  bond  between 
the  newly  converted  and  the  church.  Of  course 
this  lecture  does  not  plead  for  the  precipitate  re- 
ception of  children  into  church  membership. 
There  ought  to  be  abundant  caution,  full  inquiry 
and  special  instruction.  But  the  young  ought 
not  to  be  marked  off  into  a  class,  as  if  they  were 
doubtful,  and  ought  not  to  be  kept  separate  from 
the  rest.  Nor  ought  their  treatment  in  any  re- 
spect be  made  peculiar  except  in  its  great  tender- 
ness. I  have  seen  the  examination  of  children  by 
deacons  made  far  more  rigid  than  was  the  case 
with  older  people.  Sometimes  there  have  been 
enforced  delays  in  receiving  children  on  no  other 
ground  than  that  of  age. 


154  THE   PASTOR   AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

The  story  is  told  that  Jacob  Knapp,  once  a  suc- 
cessful evangelist,  made  a  parable.  He  said  that 
one  bitter  winter  morning  a  shepherd  waked  up 
to  find  a  snowstorm  raging.  He  called  his  man 
John  and  told  him  to  go  to  the  sheepfold  and  see 
how  the  sheep  were  faring.  When  John  re- 
turned the  shepherd  asked  if  there  were  any  new 
lambs.  He  replied  that  there  were  quite  a  num- 
ber of  them,  and  when  further  asked  what  he  did 
with  them  he  said  that  the  strong  ones  he  brought 
to  the  house,  made  them  beds  of  straw  in  the  cel- 
lar, gave  them  milk  and  made  them  comfortable. 
But  he  added  that  there  were  several  weak  and 
sickly  lambs,  and  those  he  flung  out  on  a  snow- 
bank and  left  them  there,  but  if  he  found  the  next 
morning  that  they  were  still  living  he  would  bring 
them  in  and  feed  them. 

The  young  convert  needs  shelter  and  nourish- 
ment and  needs  it  at  once.  He  ought  to  be 
brought  into  the  church  and  afforded  its  comforts 
and  supports.  Nor  is  this  all.  The  young  Chris- 
tian must  have  fellowship;  he  does  not  know 
what  it  is,  and  does  not  know  that  he  wants  it, 
but  the  longing  for  it  is  deep  in  his  soul.  This  is 
one  of  the  primal  evidences  of  regeneration.  It 
is  of  the  greatest  moment  that  this  spiritual  clam- 
or shall  be  regarded.  It  is  a  cry  for  contact  with 
the  friends  of  Christ,  and  in  it  is  the  safety  of  the 
convert.  Here  is  a  duty  of  far-reaching  signifi- 
cance for  the  pastor.     First  of  all  the  child  must 


THE   PASTOR   AND  THE   GARNER.  I55 

feel  that  it  is  knit  into  the  Hfe  of  the  pastor  and 
that  in  him  there  is  a  congenial  and  sympathetic 
spirit.  Happy  the  convert  that  knows  the  way 
to  the  pastor's  heart. 

But  of  course  it  is  a  physical  impossibility  for 
the  pastor  to  give  to  the  young  that  measure  of 
company  that  they  need;  he  must  stand  to  them 
as  a  counselor  rather  than  a  companion.  But  he 
must  provide  the  fellowship.  This  he  can  do  by 
arousing  in  his  people  an  interest  in  the  young 
convert.  They  must  furnish  the  comradeship 
and  the  protective  sympathy  so  much  needed.  It 
is  a  sign  of  spiritual  sovereignty  in  any  pastor 
that  he  can  train  his  mature  people  to  be  the  tact- 
ful guardians  and  guides  of  the  young,  and  to 
have  so  much  of  system  and  faithfulness  that  no 
one  will  be  overlooked.  When  this  spirit  is  once 
awakened  in  a  church  it  is  easy  to  keep  it  alive. 
Once  started,  this  passion  for  guardianship  will 
grow  into  a  grace  and  the  church  will  be  full  of 
nursing  fathers  and  mothers,  full  of  loving  sis- 
ters and  brothers  and  full  of  the  atmosphere  of 
fellowship.  A  church  with  that  helpful  temper 
will  be  a  glorious  home  for  the  young.  It  will 
be  hard  for  the  world  to  corrupt  them  or  the  devil 
to  destroy  those  who  have  the  protective  compan- 
ionship of  such  people. 

Sometime  ago,  in  one  of  our  larger  Southern 
Baptist  churches,  a  small  boy  appeared  before 
the  church  asking  for  baptism.     After  examina- 


156  THE    PASTOR   AND   THS    SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

tion  he  was  accepted  for  membership,  and  the  pas- 
tor made  reference  to  his  youth  and  smallness  of 
stature,  and  expressed  the  hope  that  he  might  be 
at  home  in  the  church.  Just  then  the  oldest  mem- 
ber of  the  church-  left  his  seat  quite  far  back  in 
the  room  and  appeared  at  the  pastor's  side  and 
asked  that  he  m.ight  speak. 

"My  little  brother,"  he  said,  addressing  the 
lad,  "you  will  be  the  youngest  member  of  this 
church,  and  I  am  the  oldest,  and  I  propose  that 
we  be  partners.  Both  of  us  are  weak — I  from 
age  and  you  from  youth.  Both  of  us  need  help ; 
you  must  help  me  and  I  will  try  to  help  you." 

The  incident  was  simple  enough,  but  it  thrilled 
the  little  believer  with  a  wondrous  sense  of  fel- 
lowship, and  as  he  took  the  old  man's  outstretched 
hand  his  eyes  were  full  of  tears.  Oh,  our  little 
ones  need  v/elcomes  like  that;  pastors  must  see 
that  they  get  them. 

It  is  specially  desirable  to  associate  young 
converts  with  each  other.  They  are  of  the  same 
class,  in  a  vital  sense,  and  can  often  cheer  and 
console  each  other.  Their  experiences  are  fresh, 
capricious,  fluctuating,  and  call  for  constant  coun- 
sel and  explanation.  Some  years  ago  I  was  called 
out  to  assist  a  3'Oung  man  in  special  meetings  in 
his  little  church  in  the  country.  In  advance  of 
the  meeting  the  earnest  young  fellow  had  scoured 
the  neighborhood,  going  among  the  rich  and 
poor,  praying  at  every  house,  telling  of  the  com- 


THE    PASTOR   AND   THE   GARNER.  I57 

ing  meeting  and  brightly  entreating  everybody  to 
come.  You  do  not  wonder  that  the  hand  of  the 
Lord  was  with  us.  Converting  power  broke 
forth  at  the  first  service  and  the  tide  of  salvation 
rolled  its  gracious  billows  over  the  entire  com- 
munity. One  day  we  were  receiving  the  con- 
verts for  baptism,  a  multitude  of  them.  Among 
those  who  came  was  a  gentleman  far  advanced  in 
life,  and  as  I  approached  him  I  saw  a  lad  stand* 
ing  by  him.  He  had  come  to  unite  with  the 
church  also.  After  action  had  been  taken  in  the 
old  man's  case  I  asked  his  age  and  he  tremblingly 
replied  that  he  was  "a  little  past  eighty-four." 
Turning  to  the  boy  I  inquired  for  his  age,  and  he 
told  me  that  he  was  ten.  I  simply  said:  ''Here 
they  are;  one  ten,  the  other  eighty- four;  just  sev- 
enty-four years  difference;  they  have  met  at  the 
cross  and  are  starting  in  company  in  the  race  for 
the  crown."  I  shook  hands  with  them  together 
and  wished  them  a  happy  meeting  at  the  end  of 
the  race. 

A  few  mornings  after  we  met  at  the  stream  for 
the  baptism,  and  as  we  were  entering  the  water 
the  old  man  asked  that  the  boy  should  attend 
him.  They  went  in  together,  and  the  old  brother 
receiving  baptism  first  and  the  assistants  in  the 
stream  offered  to  lead  him  out.  "No,  no,"  he 
said,  "let  me  wait  for  my  little  brother;  we  start- 
ed together  and  will  stick  to  each  other  as  long  as 
possible."     He  said  to  me  rather  sadly  that  he 


158  THE   PASTOR   AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

would  soon  fall  by  the  way,  but  that  maybe  his 
notice  of  the  little  lad  might  strengthen  him  a  lit- 
tle after  he  was  gone,  and  my  heart  grew  warmer 
towards  the  venerable  convert,  because  of  his  de- 
sire to  cheer  the  child  in  his  start  for  the  kingdom 
of  heaven. 

Three  years  afterwards  I  was  summoned  back 
to  the  community  to  conduct  the  funeral  service 
of  this  fine  old  gentleman  who  had  finished  his 
course  with  joy.  In  my  address  I  related  the 
above  facts  and  remarked  that  of  the  two  one 
had  finished  his  earthly  work  and  gone  to  meet 
the  Redeemer,  and  asked  if  any  one  knew  what 
became  of  the  boy.  "Here  I  am,"  said  the  little 
fellow,  as  he  rose  to  his  feet  far  back  in  the  house, 
and  at  my  invitation,  in  the  presence  of  hundreds, 
he  came  forward,  renewed  his  declaration  of  pur- 
pose to  persevere  unto  the  end.  It  is  pleasant  to 
think  of  the  sweet  spirit  of  comradeship  in  that 
aged  disciple.  He  had  a  heart  to  help  the  little 
ones,  and  that  marked  him  as  a  child  of  grace. 

(3)  It  largely  falls  upon  the  pastor  to  clarify 
the  experiences  of  the  young.  It  must  be  admit- 
ted that  the  first  experiences  of  the  convert  are 
flickering  and  vacillating.  They  are  novel,  tran- 
sient and  often  clouded  with  doubt. 

It  is  awkward  to  be  a  Christian  at  first;  It  Is 
like  being  in  a  new  world  and  in  entirely  new  re- 
lations with  everybody.  An  exceeding  sensitive- 
ness of  conscience  marks  the  first  days  of  conver- 


THE   PASTOR  AND  THE   GARNER.  1 59 

sion  and  the  slightest  deviation  from  the  sup- 
posed path  of  duty  plunges  the  soul  into  despair. 
There  is  a  frightful  fluctuation  of  feeling,  and 
every  change  brings  apprehension.  The  mind  is 
whipped  about  in  the  sea  of  doubt;  old  habits, 
now  seem  to  be  very  sinful,  return  with  an  almost 
resistless  authority;  the  joys  of  one  moment 
darken  the  next  into  sorrows  unmixed,  and  at 
times  every  sense  of  salvation  vanishes,  leaving 
only  the  sense  of  failure  and  despair. 

Who  can  imagine  the  struggles  of  a  young  con- 
vert at  such  a  time !  How  he  pines  unconsciously 
for  comfort,  not  knowing  that  there  is  comfort 
and  yet  dumbly  longing  for  it.  I  love  to  think  of 
the  matchless  opportunity  the  pastor  has  with  the 
young.  Blessed  indeed  is  the  man  who  meets  the 
occasion  and  administers  the  needed  medicine. 

Be  charitable  if  now  and  then  my  own  life  has 
broken  too  rudely  into  these  lectures.  They  take 
me  over  the  rugged  track  of  my  early  spiritual 
youth,  and  sometimes  tempt  me  to  reveal  some 
blotted  page  in  my  life.  Here  is  a  crude  bit  of 
convert  trial.  Some  days  after  my  open  ac- 
knowledgment of  my  faith,  being  a  rustic  lad,  I 
was  sent  to  mill.  My  bag  was  on  the  horse's  back 
and  I  was  on  the  bag  and  went  jogging  over  the 
hills  to  the  mill.  As  I  was  on  the  way  a  fearful 
darkness  enshrouded  my  mind  and  heart.  The 
fear  that  I  had  made  a  wreck  of  it,  that  my  pro- 
fession was  a  blunder,  and  that  I  had  not  really 


l60  THE   PASTOR   AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

received  salvation  overpowered  me.  Every  ves- 
tige of  hope  fled  from  me  and  a  more  desolate 
youth  could  not  have  been  found  on  the  earth. 
In  that  frame  I  reached  my  destination.  A  se- 
rious young  man  emerged  from  the  mill,  spoke 
pleasantly  and  took  the  bag,  and  I  Vx^ent  out  to 
tie  my  horse.  Upon  entering  the  mill  T  felt 
ashamed  to  face  the  miller  lest  he  should  read 
in  my  countenance  that  I  was  a  hypocrite^  but  he 
met  me  with  warming  courtesy,  and  began  to 
speak  of  my  conversion  with  many  expressions 
of  pleasure.  It  was  too  much  for  me;  I  could 
not  carry  what  seemed  to  me  a  guilty  secret.  I 
told  him  that  I  was  no  Christian,  that  I  had  dis- 
covered my  deception  and  that  it  v\^as  over  with 
me,  though  I  hoped  that  I  might  yet  find  the  way. 
For  my  life  I  can  recall  no  word  he  said,  but  I 
remember  how  tender  he  was,  how  reverentially 
he  spoke  of  the  Saviour,  and  before  I  knew  it  he 
had  my  feet  upon  the  Rock  again  and  my  heart 
glowing  Vvdth  hope  and  peace.  Surely  you  would 
have  thought  that  the  plain  miller  had  the  pastor's 
art  had  you  seen  hov>^  wonderfully  he  scattered 
my  fears  and  cleared  my  sky.  I  dare  say  he  was 
born  for  that  sort  of  work,  for  that  same  young 
man,  young  no  longer  now,  is  the  Rev.  Dr.  C.  C. 
Meador,  of  Washington  City.  He  did  for  one 
what  all  young  converts  need  to  have  done,  and 
what  pastors  ought  to  feel  that  they  were  or- 
dained of  God  to  do. 


THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   GARNER.  l6l 

That  is  a  critical  period  in  the  history  of  young 
Christians  when  they  are  passing  out  of  the  infan- 
tile state  of  the  spiritual  life.  It  is  a  transition 
from  a  life  of  impulse  to  principle,  from  sentiment 
to  conviction,  and  it  involves  endless  conflicts,  set- 
backs and  perplexities.  It  is  a  lonesome  part  of 
the  pilgrim  road  and  no  company  is  quite  so  ele- 
vating and  edifying  as  a  good  and  appreciative 
pastor. 

(4)  There,  too,  is  the  fundamentally  important 
matter  of  indoctrination.  It  is  not  necessary  in 
order  to  their  piety  or  growth  that  children  should 
understand  the  entire  round  of  Christian  doctrine, 
or  even  those  distinctive  doctrines  which  the  Bap- 
tists hold.  Some  things  may  safely  wait.  The 
task  of  indoctrination  is  not  the  work  of  a  day, 
but  of  years,  and  has  to  be  done  personally  and 
from  the  pulpit,  and  it  must  proceed  regularly 
from  year  to  year. 

At  the  same  time  it  ought  to  be  understood 
that  while  the  young  can  not  be  made  proficient 
in  Baptist  doctrine  at  once  they  ought  not  to  be 
left  in  absolute  darkness.  They  ought  to  know 
something;  ought  not  to  join  the  church  without 
an  explanation ;  they  ought  to  know  that  Baptists 
exist,  and  have  some  easy  instruction  as  to  the 
faith  of  Baptists  and  why  they  believe  as  they 
do  and  why  it  is  so  important  that  their  views 
should  be  maintained.  They  ought  also  to  un- 
derstand what  it  means  to  unite  with  a  church; 


l62  THE   PASTOR   AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

what  the  church  is  for ;  what  good  there  is  in  the 
church  for  them  and  what  they  are  expected  to  be 
to  the  church.  These  things  need  to  be  heard  in 
the  public  ministrations,  and  so  far  as  practicable 
they  should  be  gone  over  by  the  pastor  face  to 
face  with  the  young  of  his  charge.  In  addition  to 
this  it  lies  within  the  sphere  of  the  pastor  to 
school  the  young  of  his  membership  in  the  duties 
of  the  religious  life,  the  prayer,  the  reading  of  the 
Scriptures  privately  and  devotionally,  giving  to 
the  Lord  and  living  a  godly  life  in  this  evil  and 
wicked  world. 

(5)  Possibly  the  highest  function  of  the  pastor 
in  his  relation  to  the  new  people  brought  into  the 
fellowship  of  the  church  remains  to  be  mentioned. 
I  refer  to  the  task  of  arousing  and  educating  in 
the  young  Christian  the  sense  of  responsibility. 
The  early  experiences  of  young  Christians  are 
inward  and  personal ;  they  are  simply  the  feelings 
which  they  have  concerning  themselves.  Before 
conversion  they  are  asking  what  they  must  do  to 
be  saved,  and  after  conversion  they  are  dwelling 
on  what  the  Lord  has  done  for  them.  They  do 
not  escape  from  a  sense  of  themselves;  they  are 
the  centers  of  their  own  thoughts.  This  is  nat- 
ural and  allowable  at  first,  but  this  must  not  con- 
tinue. It  will  inflict  weakness  and  injury.  They 
must  enlarge  their  scope.  They  must  flee  from 
themselves  and  take  refuge  in  others. 

It  is  an  epoch  in  a  young  Christian's  exist- 


THE   PASTOR   AND  THE   GARNER.  I63 

ence  when  he  is  lifted  out  of  his  self-conscious- 
ness and  rises  to  the  realm  of  responsibility — 
when  he  sees  that  he  is  not  his  own,  that  he  is 
bought  with  a  price  and  that  henceforth  he  is  to 
live  for  others.  That  is  a  distinct  stage  of  Chris- 
tian experience,  a  new  revelation  which  brings 
enlargement  of  heart  and  purpose.  It  is  the  first 
clear  mark  of  Christian  manhood.  It  shows  the 
formation  of  a  new  character  and  unveils  a  new 
career. 

The  sense  of  spiritual  power  is  a  sacred  in- 
toxication. When  a  Christian  gets  out  of  himself 
he  gets  into  a  larger  place ;  he  knows  the  joy  of 
zeal  and  he  burns  with  the  vision  of  doing  good. 
That  is  faith  incarnating  itself  and  asking  for 
something  to  do. 

Now,  it  is  not  claiming  too  much  to  say  that 
this  is  the  essence,  the  summum  bonum  of  a  pas- 
tor's duty.  If  he  can  discover  to  young  people 
the  divine  purpose  of  their  conversion,  he  has 
summoned  them  to  a  new  destiny  and  set  their 
lives  under  the  direction  of  a  new  principle. 

I  believe  most  heartily  in  the  divine  prompting 
to  duty,  the  call  of  God,  if  you  prefer  to  call  it 
so,  but  I  am  equally  sure  that  one  of  the  Lord's 
ways  of  arousing  his  people  to  a  consciousness  of 
duty  is  through  the  influence  of  others.  The 
Lord  does  nothing  that  he  can  make  us  do. 

On  one  occasion  I  was  present  at  the  examina- 
tion of  a  young  man  for  the  ministry  with  a  view 


l64  THE   PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

to  his  ordination.  He  was  questioned  with  mer- 
ciless severity  as  to  his  call.  The  divine  aspect 
of  the  case  was  not  only  insisted  on  but  the  be- 
wildered young  man  was  almost  required  to  fur- 
nish tangible  proof  on  the  spot  that  he  was  called 
of  the  Lord.  Dr.  J.  B.  Jeter,  one  of  our  most 
eminent  ministers  in  Virginia  at  the  time,  and 
already  quite  an  old  man,  watched  the  examina- 
tion with  curiosity,  mixed  with  impatience,  and 
at  the  point  when  the  perplexity  of  the  candidate 
was  at  its  acute  state,  the  old  preacher,  with  a  droll 
solemnity,  said :  "Old  Father  Harris  called  me  to 
preach."  It  was  his  way  of  indicating  his  con- 
viction that  God  worked  through  his  old  servant 
to  lead  him  into  the  ministry.  There  was  imbed- 
ded in  his  remark  a  doctrine  which  many  of  our 
ministers  seem  not  to  hold,  that  they  are  to  point 
their  people  into  the  path  of  their  life-work.  That 
same  old  Father  Harris,  not  a  man  of  extraordi- 
nary abilities,  had  the  secret  of  the  Lord  with  him. 
He  had  an  eye  for  the  young  who  were  to  become 
shepherds  to  care  for  the  flocks  of  God.  It  is 
known  that  while  a  country  pastor,  that  spotless 
and  vigilant  watchman  on  the  walls  of  Zion  led 
nearly  forty  men  into  the  baptismal  waters  who 
afterwards  were  led  into  the  ministry.  But  it  is 
not  simply  the  duty  of  a  pastor  to  look  out  for 
those  who  are  to  preach  but  for  workers  of  every 
class  and  service. 

We  may  well  doubt  whether  we  ought  to  re- 


THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   GARNER.  165 

ceive  persons  into  the  membership  of  our  churches 
who  have  not  already  some  sense  of  duty  to  be  of 
actual  worth  in  the  church.  They  may  feel  that 
in  the  church  that  they  are  finding  a  home,  a 
school,  a  refuge,  and  that  is  right,  but  they  ought 
to  feel  that  the  church  is  a  workshop  also.  I  was 
present  one  Thursday  night  at  Spurgeon's  weekly 
preaching  service  in  his  Tabernacle  in  London 
when  he  was  receiving  new  members,  some  by  let- 
ter and  others  for  baptism.  One  of  those  who 
asked  for  baptism  was  a  small  boy.  The  famous 
pastor  introduced  the  little  convert  as  the  new- 
born babe  of  the  family,  and  then  declared  that 
he  had  not  consented  to  join  the  church  until  he 
had  found  some  work  to  do  in  the  service  of  the 
church.  How  fine  that  was.  It  goes  far  towards 
explaining  that  the  way  Spurgeon  took  care  of  so 
many  members  in  his  church  was  by  teaching 
them  to  take  care  of  themselves  and  to  help  care 
for  the  lost. 

There  are  two  almost  impregnable  bulwarks 
of  safety  for  young  Christians  in  our  churches, 
one  is  worship  and  the  other  work.  Worship  is 
the  tie  which  binds  us  to  the  Lord,  and  work  is 
the  tie  which  connects  us  with  our  brethren  and 
with  the  lost.  If  we  can  succeed  in  making  our 
young  people  intelligent  and  devout  worshipers, 
and  inflame  them  with  zeal  to  help  their  brethren 
and  rescue  the  perishing,  then  we  have  done  our 


l66  THE    PASTOR   AND   THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

Utmost  to  save  them  from  making  shipwrecks  of 
their  faith. 

This  double  task  belongs  largely  to  the  pastor. 
We  must  not  imagine  that  it  is  an  undertaking 
free  from  embarrassments  and  heart-breaking  tri- 
als. It  is  the  most  stupendous  work  ever  com- 
mitted to  mortal  hands.  It  is  a  thing  which  re- 
quires the  highest  graces  of  the  saintly  life.  It  is 
possible  only  with  those  who  walk  with  God. 
Only  a  true  worshiper  can  teach  others  to  wor- 
ship; only  a  steady  and  joyful  worker  for  the 
good  of  the  church  can  teach  others  to  work  and 
only  those  who  are  burdened  for  the  salvation  of 
others  can  roll  that  burden  on  the  new  friends  of 
Christ  as  they  appear  in  the  vineyard. 

In  short,  I  may  rightly  claim  that  only  the 
man  who  lives  daily  in  the  light  of  God  will  really 
watch  for  souls.  You  must  fill  men  with  eternal 
things  before  they  are  prepared  to  impress  others 
concerning  the  world  to  come.  Men  who  are 
scheming  for  the  places,  honors  and  titles  of  this 
world  will  never  stir  others  about  the  world  to 
come.  Unless  men  believe  in  the  garner  they 
will  slight  the  harvest. 

It  hardly  comes  within  the  province  of  this 
course  of  lectures  to  deal  with  the  reward  which 
comes  to  the  faithful  pastor.  The  real  scope  of 
the  lectures  points  to  the  faithfulness  of  pastoral 
service  rather  than  to  the  results  which  may  fol- 
low.    The  Lord  has  condescendingly  offered  re- 


THE   PASTOR   AND   THE    GARNER.  167 

wards  to  his  servants  and  we  may  be  sure  that 
these  rewards  will  correspond  with  the  measure- 
less liberality  of  the  giver.  But  these  glorious 
compensations  are  not  paid  as  a  salary  during  the 
service,  but  after  the  work  is  finished  and  the  final 
account  rendered.  They  are  not  placed  as  the 
animating  force  in  our  discharge  of  duty,  but 
rather  as  an  inspiration  which  is  to  wait  on  our 
convictions.  They  are  lights  at  the  end  of  the 
race  to  brighten  the  track  as  we  run. 

But  it  is  always  unfortunate  when  we  mag- 
nify the  notion  of  reward — it  strips  our  labor  of 
its  noblest  quality.  We  may  give  that  we  may 
receive  again,  and  we  may  receive  again,  but 
the  ideal  service  is  that  which  is  rendered 
with  a  sole  view  to  the  honor  of  our  Lord 
and  Master,  and  with  no  reference  to  our 
ov^n  emolument.  Of  that  exaltation  and  honor 
which  heaven  has  in  reserve  for  the  faithful,  we 
need  not,  indeed,  can  not,  speak  to-day.  That  is 
liidden  with  God  and  is  safe ;  our  great  task  is  to 
see  that  we  are  in  the  list  of  those  who  will  share 
in  the  glory  of  the  final  day.  Not  that  we  beg 
and  scheme  for  prizes,  but  that  we  find  a 
boundless  fascination  in  duty,  as  in  itself  greater 
and  grander  than  all  rewards. 

I  feel,  however,  that  we  may  with  propriety 
touch  on  the  compensations  in  the  kingdom  of 
grace  which  appear  along  the  way.  Every  faith- 
ful pastor  is  faithful  at  his  own  expense.     There 


l68  THE   PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

is  always  personal  loss  in  consecrated  service. 
We  have  to  give  up  things  in  order  to  attain  to 
the  highest  point  of  fidelity.  Men  may  be  pas- 
tors and  run  th^ir  work  on  the  worldly  sched- 
ules, but  they  can  never  reach  the  distinction  of 
pure  spiritual  activity  under  compromising  mo- 
tives. 

But  when  we  stake  all  for  Christ — when  we 
empty  ourselves  for  his  sake  and  lay  our  best  at 
his  feet,  there  come  back  streams  of  riches  and 
joy  of  which  the  world  knows  nothing,  and  of 
v.'hich  the  temporizing  pastor  knows  nothing. 
With  no  desire  to  formulate  these  compensations, 
these  daily  dividends  of  grace,  we  may  still  glance 
at  them  as  things  which  strikingly  indicate  that 
nothing  pays  so  well  in  this  world  as  honest  and 
unreserved  sacrifice  for  Christ. 

Faithfulness  is  essential  to  the  wholesome  en- 
joyment of  self-hood.  Now,  wherever  there  is 
partiality  of  service — service  reluctant  or  divided, 
it  is  because  of  an  undue  assertion  of  self.  It 
is  the  exaltation  of  self  at  the  sacrifice  of  our  best 
convictions.  For  men  of  this  type  there  are  usu- 
ally self-gratifying  results.  They  often  thrive 
largely  on  their  own  happy  conceits.  They  cater 
to  their  own  vanity  and  are  rewarded  with  high 
self-esteem.  But  that  is  a  shallow  and  unsatisfy- 
ing exercise.  It  is  only  their  weaker  nature, 
that  which  the  love  of  God  has  not  hallowed, 
which  they  have  to  draw  upon  for  commendation. 


THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   GARNER.  169 

In  their  deeper  consciousness  there  is  silence, 
or  if  it  utters  any  voice  it  is  the  voice  of  reproach. 
Our  better  nature  never  approves  of  half-hearted 
service.  There  is  an  awful  chasm  between  the 
deceptive  pleasures  of  unsurrendered  men  and  the 
deep  and  solid  joys  which  well  up  in  the  souls  of 
the  true  and  faithful. 

Take  the  pastor  who  has  to  deal  with  the  souls 
of  the  young  in  the  Sunday-school.  We  will  sup- 
pose that  he  is  thoroughly  in  earnest  about  the 
matter.  He  has  no  shallow  self-consciousness, 
which  puffs  and  deludes  him,  but  a  clean,  straight 
living  purpose  to  save  and  train  the  children  for 
the  Master,  and  to  that  he  addresses  himself  with 
no  reservation.  He  has  in  himself  the  clear  sense 
of  honesty;  he  knows  that  he  is  in  accord  with 
his  best  light,  and  that  he  is  working  on  time  and 
giving  full  measure,  and  as  a  compensation  he 
has  the  approval  of  his  own  heart.  That  is  a 
possession  whose  worth  is  beyond  pride,  vanity 
or  worldly  honor.  The  testimony  of  a  regen- 
erated heart  is  a  well  of  living  water  to  its  pos- 
sessor. There  is  also  the  peace  and  strength 
which  come  from  the  right  kind  of  public  respect. 
There  are  many  people  who  are  willingly  de« 
ceived,  and  it  is  to  be  confessed  that  some  minis- 
ters are  ready  to  live  by  deceiving  them.  They 
have  not  the  moral  earnestness  to  depend  on  the 
innate  power  of  the  gospel.  They  think  that 
something  else  must  be  brought  in  to  meet  the  sit- 


I70  THE   PASTOR  AND  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

uation.  Sometimes  they  resort  to  the  ''living 
topics/'  especially  if  they  are  loaded  with  scandal 
and  richly  savored  with  filth.  By  a  noisy  pre- 
sentation of  such  things  they  expect  to  stir  the 
community,  and  they  do,  a  part  at  least,  and  in  a 
way.  They  love  much  to  deal  in  fiery  denuncia- 
tions and  to  paint  their  talk  with  lurid  maledic- 
tions against  somebody,  not  present,  and  this  they 
do  to  show  how  momentously  brave  they  are,  and 
some  believe  it,  and  think  that  they  are  the  only 
men  who  are  courageous  enough  to  tell  the  truth. 
It  is  a  pitiable  fact  that  some  of  them  pet,  cajole 
and  uphold  their  people  in  their  selfishness,  indo- 
lence and  wicked  living,  imagining  that  that  is  the 
way  to  get  their  bread,  and  sometimes  they  get 
their  bread  that  way. 

But  this  will  not  do.  It  may  secure  the  ful- 
some flattery  of  some  people,  but  they  are  not  the 
people.  They  have  no  standards  and  form  no 
honest  judgments.  Their  opinion,  if  it  was 
stable,  is  not  sound;  it  is  not  intelligent,  not  ac- 
cording to  the  will  of  God,  and  brings  no  steady 
comfort  to  the  pastor.  It  may  make  one  popu- 
lar, but  it  does  not  make  him  respectable.  You 
must  not  count,  but  weigh  public  sentiment  to  as- 
certain its  worth. 

What  a  pastor  needs  is  the  favor  of  the  just — 
those  who  think  according  to  the  truth.  Their 
favor  means  something,  and  it  goes  only  to  the 
faithful.     You  may  trump  up  transient  admira- 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  GARNER.  I7I 

tion,  but  that  has  no  kinship  with  the  reverence 
felt  by  the  wise  for  the  faithful  man. 

There  is  a  bliss,  all  its  own,  which  belongs  to 
the  soul  winner.  It  is  the  princeliest  deed  of  the 
Christian  life  to  save  a  soul.  That  is  a  singularly 
pure  and  beautiful  rapture  which  Paul  expressed 
on  account  of  those  at  Phillippi  who  had  been 
saved  under  his  labors.  John  declared  that  he 
had  no  greater  joy  than  to  see  his  redeemed  chil- 
dren walking  in  the  way  of  the  Lord.  Jesus  has 
kindled  wondrous  thoughts  in  his  people  by  the 
declaration  that  there  is  joy  in  the  presence  of  the 
angels  of  God  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth. 
We  who  have  a  little  part  in  this  matchless  har- 
vest of  souls  know  that  there  is  nothing  like  it. 
Perhaps  there  is  no  other  experience  which  so 
floods  the  pastor's  soul  with  triumphant  joy  as  to 
see  those  for  whom  he  watches  brought  to  a  con- 
fession of  Christ.  But  it  is  a  blessing  which  all 
do  not  get.  It  is  too  high  for  carnal  men.  It  is 
not  a  mad  scramble  for  numbers  nor  a  puerile  am- 
bition to  have  a  baptismal  exhibition  on  Easter 
Sunday.  It  is  the  lofty  fellowship  with  that 
spirit  which  brought  Christ  to  earth  on  the  errand 
of  seeking  and  saving  the  lost,  which  thrills  the 
soul  of  the  pastor  with  ecstasy  as  he  leads  men 
out  of  darkness  into  light,  and  then  moulds  and 
trains  them  for  service  and  for  glory.  That  is 
ample  compensation  for  any  loss  a  minister  may 
suffer  in  the  way  of  duty. 


172  THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

Along  with  these  things  comes  also  the  pastor's 
growth.  He  whose  bosom  shields  a  lamb  has 
wool  to  warm  his  own  heart.  He  who  carries  a 
burden  strengthens  his  limbs.  Spiritual  growth 
is  along  the  path  of  duty.  The  more  we  do  the 
faster  we  grow ;  the  higher  the  service  we  render 
the  more  stimulating  is  it  in  its  influence  upon 
our  progress. 

Finally,  we  live  in  those  we  save.  We  put  our 
lives  into  them  and  in  their  faith  our  life  is  mul- 
tiplied. After  we  convert  a  soul  we  become  two 
instead  of  one.  Those  we  win  are  our  children 
and  we  are  reproduced  in  them. 


THE    FACULTY    OF    786^. 


Basil  Manly,  Jr.  James  P.  Boyce.  William  Williams. 

John  A.  Broadus. 


APPENDIX— HISTORICAL.  I73 

APPENDIX— HISTORICAL. 

EMPHASIZING  THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

In  the  minutes  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Con- 
vention, sessions  1863  and  1866,  there  are  two 
papers  which  deserved  to  be  mentioned  with  this 
course  of  lectures.  They  were  written  respec- 
tively by  Dr.  Basil  Manly,  Jr.,  and  Dr.  John  A. 
Broadus,  when  these  men  with  their  associates 
were  doing  work  in  the  Southern  Baptist  Theo- 
logical Seminary  while  located  at  Greenville, 
S.  C,  and  battling  with  the  adverse  circumstances 
of  those  days. 

The  papers  taken  in  connection  with  the  occa- 
sions that  produced  them  show  how  the  Seminary 
in  its  early  history  regarded  the  Sunday-school 
cause,  and  especially  show  how  these  two  men 
took  the  larger  and  prospective  view  of  the  ques- 
tion. They  were  prominent  if  not  indeed  the 
leaders  in  the  movement  to  introduce  the  Sunday- 
school  into  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  as  a 
part  of  its  organic  work  and  life. 

In  the  session  of  the  Convention  at  Augusta, 
Ga.,  1863,  Dr.  Basil  Manly,  Jr.,  offered  the  fol- 
lowing resolution : 

"Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  seven  be  ap- 
pointed to  inquire  whether  it  is  expedient  for 
this  Convention  to  attempt  anything  for  the  pro- 
motion of  Sunday-schools." 


174  THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

The  committee  called  for  in  the  resolution  was 
appointed,  consisting  of  some  of  the  ablest  men 
in  the  Convention,  with  Dr.  Manly  as  chairman. 
The  report  of  the  committee  is  one  of  the  papers 
referred  to  above.  It  was  manifestly  written  by 
Dr.  Manly  as  chairman.  We  submit  herewith 
a  short  paragraph  showing  the  high  place  which 
the  committee  gave  to  the  Sunday-school  work; 

"  It  is  needless  to  argue  before  this  body  the 
importance  of  Sunday-schools,  or  the  duty  of 
promoting  their  establishment  and  increasing 
their  efficiency  in  every  legitimate  way.  All  of 
us  have  felt  that  the  Sunday-school  is  the  nursery 
of  the  church,  the  camp  of  instruction  for  her 
young  soldiers,  the  great  missionary  to  the  fu- 
ture. While  our  other  benevolent  agencies  re- 
late primarily  to  the  present,  this  goes  to  meet 
and  bless  the  generation  that  is  coming,  to  win 
them  from  ignorance  and  sin,  to  train  future  la- 
borers when  our  places  shall  know  us  no  more. 
All  of  us  have  seen  how  Sunday-schools  tend  to 
direct  increasing  attention  to  the  Bible,  to  ele- 
vate the  ministry,  to  train  young  ministers,  to 
build  up  churches  in  destitute  parts,  to  foster  the 
missionary  spirit,  to  increase  both  our  capacity 
and  willingness  for  every  good  work.  And  most 
of  us,  in  some  form  or  other,  have  labored  for 
their  advancement.  The  questions  before  us  re- 
duce themselves  to  these:  Whether  it  is  expedi- 
ent for  the  Convention  to  attempt  anything  in 
this  direction?  Whether  the  present  is  a  proper 
time?  and  in  what  way  the  effort  should  be 
made? 

"That  the  subject  comes  fairly  within  the 


APPENDIX — HISTORICAL.  175 

range  of  the  Constitution,  and  accords  with  the 
design  of  the  Convention,  is  unquestionable.  All 
our  state  organizations  embrace  this,  along  with 
the  methods  of  benevolent  enterprise,  and  the 
very  symmetry  and  completeness  of  our  system 
of  religious  effort,  seems  in  fact  to  demand  that 
this,  as  well  as  others,  should  be  directly  fostered 
by  our  general  organization,  and  claim  its  share 
of  attention,  when  our  brethren  come  up  from  all 
sections  of  our  land.  Without  such  recognition, 
it  is  liable  to  be  thrust  out  as  an  intruder,  instead 
or  being  welcomed  as  a  sister  and  admitted  af- 
fectionately, though  least  and  youngest,  to  a 
place  in  the  family." 

The  report  of  the  committee  recommending 
among  other  things  the  appointment  of  a  Sunday 
School  Board,  was  unanimously  adopted,  and  so 
the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  stood  commit- 
ted to  this  forward  movement  and  incorporated 
the  Sunday-school  into  its  organic  life.  This 
new  Board  was  located  at  Greenville,  S.  C,  and 
was  as  ably  manned  as  any  Board  could  possibly 
be,  with  the  seminary  men  prominent,  Dr.  James 
P.  Boyce  being  Vice-President  for  South  Caro- 
lina, Dr.  William  Williams  being  one  of  the  man- 
agers. Dr.  Basil  Manly  its  President,  and  Dr. 
John  A.  Broadus  first  its  Recording  Secretary 
and  afterwards  its  Corresponding  Secretary. 

The  purpose  of  this  paper  is  simply  to  show 
the  connection  between  the  Seminary  and  this  new 
movement  for  Sunday-schools,  but  of  course  there 
was  great  support  given  by  many,  many  others, 


176  THE   PASTOR  AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL, 

prominent  among  whom  was  Col.  C.  J.  Elford, 
who  was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  of 
the  First  Baptist  Church  at  Greenville,  active  in 
all  good  Christian  work,  and  who  rendered  the 
Board  excellent  service  officially  and  otherwise. 

At  that  time  the  Convention  met  biennially, 
but  failed  of  its  session  in  1865  on  account  of  the 
war,  so  that  the  new  Board  did  not  have  an  op- 
portunity to  make  its  first  report  until  the  session 
of  1866,  at  Russellville,  Ky.  The  report  covers 
three  years'  work  and  is  the  other  paper  re- 
ferred to  and  was  written  in  part  at  least 
by  Dr.  Broadus,  who  was  then  serving  as 
Corresponding  Secretary  in  connection  with  his 
professorship  in  the  Seminary.  The  report 
taken  as  a  whole  is  a  wonderful  paper.  It  tells 
of  the  immense  work  done  under  great  disadvan- 
tages ;  tells  of  the  distribution  of  Bibles ;  tells  of 
having  Sunday-school  missionaries  in  the  differ- 
ent States ;  tells  of  the  publication  of  song  books 
and  catechisms;  tells  of  starting  Kind  Words, 
v;hich  from  that  day  to  this  has  never  missed  an 
issue;  tells  of  the  large  opportunities  and  the 
pressing  need  for  the  work ;  and  surely  must  have 
stirred  the  hearts  of  the  brethren  when  presented 
to  the  Convention.  Here  are  a  few  extracts  from 
the  pen  of  Dr.  Broadus. 

Brethren  are  aosorbed  m  the  exciting  events 
of  the  day,  and  fancy  that  a  little  Sunday-school 
would  be  a  small  affair,  forgetting  that  it  forms 


APPENDIX— HISTORICAI,.  V]^ 

part  of  one  of  the  mightiest  movements  of  the 
age.  Ladies  have  not  been  accustomed  to  con- 
duct a  school  themselves,  and  need  encourage- 
ment to  do  so.  Teachers  see  no  speedy  results 
of  their  labors,  and  forget  hat  they  are  sowing 
seed  for  a  lifetime  and  for  eternity.  Only  here 
and  there  are  found  persons  who  can  "kindle 
their  own  fire"  and  keep  it  burning  brightly.  It 
is  all  important  that  ministers  and  private  mem- 
bers who  take  a  lively  interest  in  this  work  should 
exert  themselves  to  establish  and  build  up  Sun- 
day-schools at  all  the  churches  they  can  reach. 

We  are  also  very  desirous  to  enter  as  soon  as 
possible  upon  a  general  system  of  Sunday-school 
missionary  work  in  the  different  States,  such  as 
was  projected  and  attempted  by  us  during  the 
war.  Our  limited  but  interested  experience  at 
that  time  accords  with  the  experience  of  other 
Sunday-school  organizations  in  showing  the  great 
value  of  such  labors— indeed  their  necessity,  if 
Sunday-schools  are  to  he  rapidly  increased  in 
number  and  efficiency.  People  in  general  will 
persistently  fancy  that  work  for  children  is  a 
small  business,  and  they  require  to  be  reasoned 
out  of  the  notion  by  others  who  have  attained 
juster  views,  and  to  be  stimulated  to  vigorous 
and  persevering  exertion  by  those  who  have 
learned  to  feel  some  of  the  lofty  enthusiasm 
which  this  sublime  and  blessed  work  ought  really 
to  inspire. 

In  conclusion,  the  Board  affectionately  urge 
upon  the  Convention  and  the  churches  the  incal- 
culable importance  of  the  Sunday-school  work. 
Besides  its  powerful  direct  influence  upon  the 


178  THE    PASTOR   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

welfare  of  society,  and  its  vast  and  blessed  direct 
results  in  the  salvation  of  souls,  the  Sunday- 
school  is  a  helper  to  every  other  benevolent 
agency.  The  preacher  and  pastor  finds  in  it  the 
aid  of  many  subordinate  preachers  and  pastors, 
each  laboring  for  the  benefit  of  a  little  flock,  and 
all  finding  their  gifts  and  graces  developed  and 
exercised,  as  his  own  are,  by  efforts  for  the  re- 
ligious good  of  others.  The  work  of  domestic 
missions  is  greatly  assisted  by  it,  for  often  a  new 
Sunday-school  leads  to  a  new  church,  and  a  reg- 
ular Sunday-school  brings  on  a  desire  for  more 
frequent  preaching. 

The  Foreign  mission  work  finds  here  the  op- 
portunity of  awakening  an  early  and  thus  per- 
manent interest  in  the  heathen,  and  forming 
habits  of  systematic  and  cheerful  benevolence. 
The  Bible  cause  is  immensely  aided  by  it  in  pro- 
moting the  circulation  and  the  study  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. Its  scholars  all  become  colporteurs,  intro- 
ducing religious  reading  into  their  homes,  and  it 
is  one  vast  asylum  to  supply  the  highest  wants 
of  the  orphaned  and  destitute.  It  brings  great 
numbers  into  the  ministry  of  the  gospel,  and 
it  is  an  important  means  of  ministerial  edu- 
cation; since  the  man  who  becomes  a  preacher, 
after  having  for  years  been  scholar  and  teacher 
in  a  good  Sunday-school,  has  received  a  train- 
ing in  various  respects,  which  will  greatly  pro- 
mote his  ministerial  usefulness.  Thus  the  Sun- 
day-school is  a  helper  to  all  other  religious  en- 
terprises, while  it  is  a  rival  to  none.  Everything 
Christians  care  for  would  greatly  suffer  if  its  in- 
fluence were  lost;  everything  will  gain  in  pro- 
portion as  its  influence  is  extended. 


APPENDIX— HISTORICAL.  179 

Here  is  surely  work  enough  for  a  distinct  or- 
ganization, such  as  the  Convention  has  estab- 
lished, and  a  work  calling  for  the  iively  sympa- 
thy and  the  liberal  support  of  all  that  love  Him 
who  loves  little  children. 

Surely  no  one  could  make  a  stronger  plea  for 
Sunday-schools.  Nor  has  this  plea  lost  anything 
of  strength  or  power  through  the  passing  years, 
while  the  Sunday-school  cause  has  taken  on  im- 
mensely larger  proportions.  Those  men  read  th^ 
future,  knew  what  ought  to  be  done  and  put  out 
their  plans  on  gigantic  scale.  But  the  war  be- 
tween the  States  had  just  closed,  leaving  desola- 
tion everywhere  and  upon  everything  throughout 
the  South.  Southern  institutions  were  swept 
fore  and  aft ;  many  went  down,  all  of  them  were 
brought  to  face  the  question  of  life  and  death. 
There  had  to  be  a  readjustment  of  things.  And 
after  five  years  of  remarkable  success  and  at  its 
own  request,  the  Sunday  School  Board  was 
moved  by  the  Convention  to  Memphis,  and  a  few 
years  later  was  merged  into  the  Home  Mission 
Board. 

The  Seminary  men  had  all  they  could  do  to 
save  that  institution  from  destruction,  and  set 
themselves  to  the  task  with  the  heroism  so  char- 
acteristic of  our  people  in  that  trying  period.  Tn 
giving  up  the  other  institution  they  were  as  a  man 
thrown  overboard  with  two  of  his  children,  and 
losing  one  heroically  struggles  to  save  the  other. 


l80  THE   PASTOR   AND   THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

The  story  of  the  struggle  to  save  the  Seminary  is 
one  of  the  most  pathetic  and  most  courageous  in  . 
Baptist  history.  After  years  of  sacrifice  and  suf- 
fering the  final  triumph  came,  and  as  a  result  we 
have  the  magnificent  institution  at  Louisville 
tliat  is  among  the  very  foremost,  if  not  itself  the 
foremost  of  all  the  schools  for  training  men 
whom  God  calls  to  preach  the  gospel  of  his  grace. 

The  Sunday  School  Board  at  Nashville  can 
hardly  in  any  sense  be  called  the  successor  of  the 
former  Board,  and  yet  stands  on  the  same  basis, 
having  been  created  by  the  Convention  in  the  ses- 
sion of  189 1  and  charged  with  great  denomina- 
tional interests.  It  is  operated  upon  almost  pre- 
cisely the  same  lines  projected  for  the  other 
Board,  and  its  success  is  giving  an  ever-increas- 
ing power  for  usefulness.  Its  union  with  the 
Seminary  in  producing  this  course  of  lectures 
gathers  up  the  broken  threads  of  history  and  puts 
things  together  that  were  parted  years  ago. 

In  the  Galveston  flood  a  family  were  driven  on 
to  a  roof,  and  then  in  the  violence  of  the  storm 
the  roof  itself  parted,  dividing  the  family.  After 
being  driven  for  hours  by  wind  and  wave  in  the 
darkness,  the  separate  parts  of  the  roof  drifted  to- 
gether again,  and  the  family  were  reunited. 

The  present  administration  of  the  Seminary 
are  moving  forward  in  the  spirit  and  purpose  of 
its  founders.  J.  M.  F. 

Nashville,  Tenn. 


DATE  DUE 


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